Figure 1

Hepatic histopathological alterations and granulomatous response in mice during the course of infection. (a) Histopathological alterations of the liver from mice infected with different PSC inocula during the course of infection. H&E staining of liver sections. The original magnification was at 40×, and the corresponding images on the right were magnified at 200×; bars indicate 200 μm or 50 μm in the 40× or in the 200× magnification images, respectively. Red arrow indicates inflammatory cell zone; Blue arrow indicates fibrosis areas. Dashed line marks the border of granuloma around the parasitic lesion in the infected group. ( b) Hepatic granulomatous response to E. granulosus infection with different doses. Liver histological reaction at each infectious foci was scored as (1) inflammatory foci, parasite-free, except for possible PSC remnants, composed of macrophages, lymphocytes, and other inflammatory cells; (2) fibrotic foci, parasite-free, with no visible PSCs or cysts, only composed of fibrosis; (3) inflammatory foci with fibrosis, parasite-free, with no visible PSCs or cysts, only composed of granulomatous inflammation combined with liver fibrosis; (4) infectious foci, cystic structure composed of the germinal layer and laminated layer, surrounded with macrophages, lymphocytes, fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, as well as fibrosis (adventitial layer). All sizes of infectious foci were calculated via microscope examination of the liver including 4–6 mice per group. PSCs: protoscoleces. LD: 50 or 250 PSCs; MD: 500 PSCs; HD: 1000 or 2000 PSCs. Data are shown as mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM), *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001.