Maternal transmission of asexually proliferative Mesocestoides corti tetrathyridia (Cestoda) in mice.
Asexually proliferative Mesocestoides corti tetrathyridia were studied to test the hypothesis of in utero transmission in mice and define more clearly the path of transmammary transmission. In utero transmission was not observed in 132 fetuses (22 litters) taken by caesarean section from infected mothers. However, 19 of these mothers had tetrathyridia in their mammary glands at the time of operation, nine had worms in the uterine lumen, and one had a single worm in the maternal blood space of a placenta. No tetrathyridia were found in amniotic cavities. No infection was found in 32 young (7 litters) examined immediately after birth to infected mothers, but before nursing. No infection was found in 30 young (5 litters) removed from infected mothers before nursing and raised by uninfected fosters. Of 29 uninfected young (5 litters) allowed to nurse on infected mothers, 18 became infected. Whole mounts and sections of infected mammary glands showed proliferating tetrathyridia free in larger milk ducts and free and encapsulated in mammary parenchyma. These data suggest that maternal transmission of M. corti tetrathyridia in mice occurs primarily or perhaps exclusively by the transmammary route.
D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D002589:Cestoda / Q000502:physiology*; D002590:Cestode Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000469:parasitology*; D051379:Mice; D009068:Movement; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; D012098:Reproduction; D014599:Uterus / Q000469:parasitology