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Establishment, development and fecundity of Taenia crassiceps in the intestine of prednisolone-treated Mongolian gerbils and inbred mice

ABSTRACT Worm establishment, development and fecundity of Taenia crassiceps in the intestine of prednisolone (PTBA)-treated, 15- and 4-week-old Mongolian gerbils and 9-week-old inbred mice of 4 strains (AKR/J, BALB/cAn, B10D2/oSn and C57BL/KsJ) were investigated following oral administration of metacestodes. Gerbils were divided into 5 groups of 4 animals each according to the host age and commencement day of PTBA-treatment (day −13, −7 or 0 relative to infection). Worm recovery from the intestine on day 35 postinfection was not affected by host age, but fewer worms were recovered the earlier the commencement of PTBA-treatment. Worm size, determined by wet weight, total length and proglottis number, correlated inversely with worm burden, suggesting they were affected by the crowding effect. Proglottides were released normally in the faeces but were markedly depressed in all groups except for that of young gerbils. Furthermore, egg production and its development in gravid proglottides were markedly depressed in all groups. In PTBA-treated mice of 4 strains, sexually mature but not gravid worms were recovered from all mice of the AKR/J strain on days 20–32 postinfection, but none or few worms from the intestine of the others. PTBA-treatment did not inhibit all protective host defence mechanism(s) in the unnatural or alternative rodent definitive host of T. crassiceps.