High performance thin layer chromatographic analysis of neutral lipids in the urine of BALB/c mice infected with Echinostoma caproni.

Silica gel high performance thin layer chromatography-densitometry was used to determine the neutral lipid profile in the urine of BALB/c mice experimentally infected with adults of Echinostoma caproni. An approximate 30 worm burden per host induced certain changes in the neutral lipid profile of the mice at 2 to 10 weeks post-infection (PI) relative to the uninfected controls. Infection caused a significant increase (Student's t test, P < 0.05) in the methyl oleate fraction at 6 and 7 weeks PI relative to the uninfected controls. Neutral lipid profiles of urine may serve as an indicator of experimental infection of echinostomes in mice.