Multiple heterogenous isolates of Cryptosporidium serpentis from captive snakes are not transmissible to neonatal BALB/c mice (Mus musculus).
Oral inoculations of 9 litter-groups of 3 5-day-old suckling BALB/c mouse pups (Mus musculus) with 6.7 x 10(3) to 1.2 x 10(5) per pup of viable, Cryptosporidium serpentis oocysts from snakes resulted in no transmission. Mice showed normal development; the litter-group weight gain was not altered significantly (P > 0.05) relative to the total number of C. serpentis oocysts inoculated or to the initial group weight (P > 0.05). Histological sections of stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, and colon 4 days postinoculation did not contain life-cycle stages of Cryptosporidium in any inoculated mice. Because these neonatal, C. parvum-susceptible BALB/c mice were resistant to infection it is unlikely that C. serpentis transmission to the snakes "via infected prey" results when captive snakes are maintained on a diet of BALB/c mice.
Fayer
R
R
Parasite Immunobiology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA.
Graczyk
T K
TK
Cranfield
M R
MR
D000821:Animal Feed / Q000469:parasitology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000836:Animals, Zoo / Q000469:parasitology*; D017821:Boidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D003457:Cryptosporidiosis / Q000635:transmission*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D016266:Food Parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C