Dipetalonema viteae: Microfilariae production in various mouse strains and in nude mice

• Published in: Experimental parasitology Vol. 49; no. 3; pp. 398 - 404
• Main Authors: Haque, A., Worms, M.J., Ogilvie, Bridget M., Capron, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.1980
• Subjects: acquired; Animals; Dipetalonema - growth & development; Dipetalonema Infections - genetics; Dipetalonema Infections - parasitology; Dipetalonema viteae; Female; Filariasis - genetics; Filarioidea; Genotype; Host-Parasite Interactions; infective; innate; Larvae; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Nude; Microfilaremia; Microfilariae - growth & development; Mouse strains; Nematode; nude; Ornithodorus tartakovskyi; parasitic; Resistance; Species Specificity; T-cell control; T-Lymphocytes - physiology; Tick; Larvae; Microfilaremia; innate; Mouse strains; Genotype; T-cell control; parasitic; Filarioidea; Resistance; infective; Nematode; Mice; Tick; nude; Ornithodorus tartakovskyi; Dipetalonema viteae; acquired
• ISSN: 0014-4894; 1090-2449
• DOI: 10.1016/0014-4894(80)90074-0

Adult female Dipetalonema viteae worms obtained from hamsters were introduced beneath the dorsal skin of Balb c , C 57Bl 6 , and C 3H He mice. The microfilaraemia from the transplanted worms in Balb c mice was higher and persisted longer than in C 57Bl 6 , and in C 3H He mice was intermediate between these two strains. The transplanted adult worms were killed earlier in C 57Bl 6 compared to Balb c mice; adult worms were killed before the microfilariae were cleared from the circulation. D. viteae infective larvae did not reach maturity in mice but when female worms were implanted into mice which had been infected with third-stage infective larvae 6 or 19 days previously, microfilarial production was inhibited. Outbred as well as inbred nude mice infected with 10 or 20 infective larvae died by Day 15, whereas the normal littermate control mice that received the same number of infective larvae remained alive and healthy. There was no difference in the duration and level of microfilaraemia from implanted female worms in outbred nudes and their heterozygous littermate control mice. In contrast, microfilaraemia in inbred Balb c Nu+ was similar to that of inbred Balb c Nu Nu only until Day 45; thereafter the microfilaraemia declined to zero around Day 160 in the Nu+, at which time it was still high and persisted longer in the Balb c Nu Nu . Transplanted adults were viable in inbred Balb c Nu Nu for a longer time than in Balb c Nu+. When infected, amicrofilaraemic nudes, littermate controls, and three strains of mice were challenged, a very low level short-lasting microfilaraemia resulted.