Trichinella is a very important intracellular parasite. James Pagent first discovered Trichinella in humans in 1875 during a medical study. There are five species of Trichinella. Medically the most important is Trichinella spiralis. It is found worldwide and has the ability to infect a wide range of mammalian hosts.

Unlike many other species of intracellular parasites, such as Leishmania and Plasmodium, Trichinella does not kill the host cell. Instead it actively induces a series of modifications within the invaded cell ensuring the survival of both host and parasite.

Male and female Trichinella tend to live in the intestinal epithelium of mammals. Many L1 larvae are produced. These penetrate the intestinal wall and are transported via the bloodstream to striated muscle. Here they enter the cytoplasm and obtain nutri

Transformation of the invaded muscle cell into a nurse cell typically takes 20 days and involves a number of morphological and biochemical reorganisations. The parasite induces the formation of smooth membranes and mitochondrial aggregates as a substitute for muscle-specific structures including myofilaments. This is followed by the enlargement of nuclei, which subsequently migrate to the centre of the cell. An additional change is the increased number of ribosomes, ER and golgi present, signalling the change in function of the complex from a contractile to a secretory cell. In addition, the nurse cell becomes encapsulated with a thick outer coat composed of collagen. This coat is continually shed in order to delay the host immune response. Infection is spread to other organisms when the muscle is eaten by predators or scavengers.

It is proposed that these antigens interact with the

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