Abstract
ABSTRACT. Trivilin L.O., Sousa D.R., Nunes L.C. & Martins I.V.F. [Imnunophenotyping of inflammatory response in liver of the naturally and chronically infected cattle by Fasciola hepatica]. Imunofenotipagem da resposta inflamatória em fígados de bovinos cronicamente e naturalmente infectados por Fasciola hepatica. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinária, 35(1):41-47, 2013. Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Alto Universitário, Cx. Postal 16, Alegre, ES 29500-000, Brasil. E-mail: leotrivilin@gmail.com Fasciolosis is a zoonotic disease caused by a parasite Fasciola hepatica that can infect different species of animals, especially ruminants. The aim of this study to evaluate the profile of the immune response in bovine livers naturally and chronically infected by F. hepatica, using immunohistochemical technic by lymphocytes T and B, as well IgG plasma cells. Samples were obtained from bovine livers macroscopically positive for flukes. We collected fragments of 4 cm2 of each lobe, right and left, of the 100 livers condemned for flukes. The samples were placed in 10% formalin, identified and targeted for general histopathological evaluation of morphological and intensity of inflammatory infiltration. We selected at random, 18 samples (six samples for each intensity of inflammation), which were submitted to immunohistochemical evaluation to T lymphocytes (CD3+), B lymphocytes (CD79α+) and IgG plasma cell (IgG+). The labeled cells by immunohistochemistry were counted in ten port space at random from each lobe. We calculated the mean number of cells per lobe. No significant difference was observed between the expression of T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and IgG plasma cells in the right lobe (p=0.5817) and left lobe (p=0.9367). Mean T lymphocytes (CD3+) of the left lobe has been greater than the right lobe (p=0.019), as well as B lymphocytes (CD79α+) (p=0.00018) and IgG plasma cells (p=0. 0002). The CD3+ T lymphocytes in the left hepatic lobe significantly different (p=0.024) relative to the intensity of infiltration, showing the difference between mild to severe (p<0.05). CD79α+ B lymphocytes in the right hepatic lobe showed significant differences (p=0.008) in the different intensities of infiltration being observed between mild and severe (p<0.01) T and B lymphocytes and IgG plasma cells are present in immune response in livers of cattle with chronic fasciolosis, being more evident in the left hepatic lobe. The immunohistochemical assessment was effective in cell immunophenotype characterization of this inflammatory response caused by natural infection becoming important in the study of bovine fasciolosis.