title: Establishment of Hymenolepis diminuta Life Cycle to Provide Parasite Mass Production.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The main object of this experimental work was to practise laboratory production both adult and the larval stage of Hymenolepis diminuta with conventional modification to make further studies easier.  MATERIALS #ENTITYSTARTX00026;
  
  
  METHODS
  Adults H. diminuta were collected from urban rats in Tehran, Iran. The beetles became infected using blended gravid segments with flour as bait. Cysticercoids have been saved after precise dissection of invertebrate hosts. The exposure of infected beetles to laboratory rats was performed to establish the life cycle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 57 collected rats, three rats were infected with H. diminuta. Almost all exposed beetles found infected with the larval stage of parasite. About one-month later H. diminuta eggs were seen in stool examination of laboratory rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rare human occurrence of H. diminuta along with light level of clinical manifestation of this parasite, underestimate the concerns toward its public health importance. Nowadays, various field of studies, such as biochemistry with special focuses on the capability of H. diminuta tegument absorption have performed apart from parasitological views alone. In the present study, establishment of this parasite life cycle has practically provided the access of adult and cysticercoid stages of the tapeworm in further researches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
authors.forename: Ms
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makki
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shahbazi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teimoori
authors.forename: Mb
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rokni
authors.forename: Mr
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abaei
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mobedi
authors.forename: Gh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hassanpour
authors.forename: Gh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mowlavi