Study of the possibility of placental involvement in experimental bilharziasis

Twenty-five female golden hamsters were divided into three groups. The first group was infected before mating, sacrifice was done to perform worm perfusion and histopathological examination of the liver and placenta. The second group was infected in early pregnancy and sacrificed before delivery. The third group was the control normal pregnant group. The results showed that the infection rate was 28%. Pathological examination of the first group showed that although the liver had attained the full histopathological picture of bilharziasis yet the placenta was found to be free from that infection. That might be due to short duration of placental formation in hamsters, and lack of anastomotic channels between the placenta and the portal circulation. In the second group no bilharzial affection could be detected in the placenta or the liver as sacrifice was done before worm maturation. Also, it could be assumed that acute bilharziasis did not lead to complication of pregnancy in golden hamsters as no abortion happened during this study.