Meriones unguiculatus as an experimental host for Taenia saginata metacestodes

Abstract Wouters G., Geerts S., Brandt J., Kumar V. and Calus A. 1988. Meriones unguiculatus as an experimental host for Taenia saginata metacestodes. International Journal for Parasitology 18 : 129–131. Three hundred and eighty-eight jirds were inoculated subcutaneously with hatched and activated oncospheres from 24 different batches of Taenia saginata . Metacestodes were recovered in 5.2% of the inoculated animals, though significant differences in the infectivity of individual batches were observed. The dose of infection inoculum, the rate of oncospheral activation, the period of egg storage and immunosuppressive treatment of the host also influenced the results. In those harbouring metacestodes, an average of 2.7 viable cysts perjird were recovered at the subcutaneous site of inoculation.