Predictability of morphological gradients in the tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta.
The strobila of an adult tapeworm represents a continual gradient of developmental stages from immature to gravid proglottids. The purpose of this study was to determine if organogenesis (as measured by the developmental gradient) in tapeworms within a single host and among different hosts occurred at the same rates. Rats were infected with Hymenolepis diminuta and the tapeworms were recovered 20 days post-infection. The total number of proglottids in each worm was determined, and five 'benchmarks' of organogenesis were quantified. The data demonstrated that organogenesis in worms from a single host occurred at a relatively constant rate, but that rates in tapeworms from different hosts were different.
Pappas
P W
PW
Department of Zoology, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA. pappas.3@osu.edu
D000818:Animals; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006926:Hymenolepis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley