title: Experimental transfer of Paragonimus westermani from rodents to rodents following subcutaneous and intraperitoneal routes.
abstract: In order to investigate the experimental transfer of Paragonimus westermani from rodents to rodents following subcutaneous and intraperitoneal routes, 13 rats and 23 mice were inoculated with a total of 115 (1 mature and 114 immature) worms of P. westermani subcutaneously and intraperitoneally. The age of worms before transfer was 25-193 days. The transfer was performed immediately after worm collection from rodents which were killed at various intervals from 4 to 144 days after infection. The location, development and size of worms were recorded. An infection rate of 58% (or 21/36) was demonstrated in rodents after experimental transfer of P. westermani by intraperitoneal and subcutaneous routes. Twenty-seven worms were recovered, giving a worm recovery rate of 23.5%. The rate was significantly higher by the subcutaneous route (34.8%) than by the intraperitoneal route (20.7%) but no difference was found between mice (23.9%) and rats (23.0%). The sizes of worms in the abdominal cavity, pleural cavity and thoracic muscles of mice, and in the leg muscles of rats were much less than in the pleural cavity and lung cysts of rats. A mature worm (7 x 5 mm) and numerous eggs were found in the uterus and pleural cavity of one rat. It is evidence that these rodents are unfavourable definitive hosts of P. westermani, because the worm size, infectivity, maturation and egg production are usually very low. However, the worms are usually widely distributed in their rodent hosts and remain small in size for a long period. Therefore, these rodents are good paratenic hosts for P. westermani and can play an important role in infecting cats and dogs with P. westermani in the laboratory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Research, Veteran General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008168:Lung / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D009132:Muscles / Q000469:parasitology; D010237:Paragonimiasis / Q000635:transmission*; D010238:Paragonimus / Q000502:physiology*; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000469:parasitology*; D010994:Pleura / Q000469:parasitology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012867:Skin / Q000469:parasitology*