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The survival of Trichuris muris in wild populations of its natural hosts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

J. M. Behnke  and
D. Wakelin
J. M. Behnke
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Bedford College, London NW 1
D. Wakelin
Affiliation:
Wellcome Laboratories for Experimental Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1QH
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Extract

The results of experimental infections of Trichuris muris in wild field mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) and laboratory-bred wild house mice (Mus musculus) showed that the parasite elicited an immune response similar to that previously described in strains of laboratory mice. Experiments in laboratory mice showed that the parasite was able to become sexually mature only when small single infections or repeated low-level infections were given. A survey of a population of 43 wild house mice naturally infected with T. muris showed that the pattern of small worm burdens in the majority of mice was consistent with a situation of repeated low-level infection, except in the case of six female mice which harboured larger mature worm burdens. It is suggested that in these mice pregnancy and/or lactation may have suppressed the immune response, allowing the accumulation of a worm burden in excess of the threshold for worm expulsion.

Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 67 , Issue 2 , October 1973 , pp. 157 - 164
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1973

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