Alterations in Biomphalaria glabrata plasma induced by infection with the digenetic trematode Echinostoma paraensei.

Alterations in the noncellular hemolymph components of M line Biomphalaria glabrata snails infected with the trematode Echinostoma paraensei for 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30, or 60 days were monitored by direct microscopical examination, and by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) in conjunction with quantitative densitometry. A prominent particulate substance was first noted in the hemolymph of infected snails at 1 day postexposure (PE), persisted through day 15, and subsided by day 30. This substance, which was not observed in control snails, contained 2 major polypeptides of 190-200 and 80-120 kDa. Infection with E. paraensei also induced substantial changes in soluble hemolymph polypeptides. PAGE lanes loaded with plasma samples from M line snails infected for 4, 8, 15, and 30 days exhibited a generalized increase in staining intensity relative to controls. A diffuse band centered at approximately 100 kDa, but of variable width, was selectively enriched relative to control preparations in snails with 4-, 8-, 15-, and 30-day-old infections. Standard protein assays also indicated an increase in total protein content of plasma samples from snails infected for 2-60 days, with significant increases noted at 4, 8, and 30 days. Infected snails of the 10-R2 strain of B. glabrata also contained particulate material in their hemolymph. However, soluble hemolymph components of 10-R2 snails exhibited relatively little change, or declined, as a result of infection. For either strain, no new bands could be detected in plasma samples from infected snails, nor were any bands consistently deleted as a result of infection. Although both snail strains exhibit alterations in hemolymph components as a result of infection, their responses differ qualitatively and quantitatively.