Decrease of liver glycogen content in golden hamsters infected with plerocercoids of Spirometra erinacei.

Liver glycogen content decreased in golden hamsters experimentally infected with plerocercoids of Spirometra erinacei. The activity of glycogen synthase a decreased significantly in infected animals, whereas that of glycogen phosphorylase a was not significantly affected. These observations suggest that changes in glycogen content were not attributable to increased glycogenolysis, but rather resulted from suppressed glycogenesis. Plasma immunoreactive insulin (IRI) concentrations in infected animals were slightly lower than those in controls, but the differences were not statistically significant. Plasma glucagon concentrations were significantly higher in infected animals. These results suggest that the suppression of glycogen synthase activity in S. erinacei-infected hamsters was attributable to enhanced levels of glucagon and that enhanced secretion of glucagon was caused by parasite-induced hypoglycemia.