Fig 2. Parasitological and histological comparisons between C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice during S. japonicum infection.

Hepatic egg burdens (A) did not differ significantly between strains; Granuloma area (B), Hepatic fibrosis (C), and myofibroblasts/Hepatic Stellate Cells (HSCs) numbers (D) were significantly increased in C57BL/6 mice compared with BALB/c mice at particular time points p.i.; Hepatic necrosis (E) was significantly more extensive in BALB/c mice compared with C57BL/6 mice at 6 and 11 weeks p.i.. Statistical significance between strains was determined using 2-Way ANOVA. (* = P<0.05, ** = P<0.01, *** = P<0.001, **** = P<0.0001, ns = no significant difference). Correlations between the severity of liver necrosis and the level of hepatic granuloma (F), as well as the level of hepatic fibrosis (G) in both mouse strains were performed using Spearman’s Rho correlation.