Intrauterine transmission of Trichinella spp.

Pages: 42-45.

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The aim of this paper was to study whether Trichinella larvae may be transmitted in utero in some species of laboratory animals. The results of the experimental infestation showed that guinea pigs and Mongolian gerbils were the species that were most susceptible to the Arctic Trichinella isolate, while Syrian hamsters and white outbred rats were the species that were least susceptible to the Arctic Trichinella isolate. It has been shown that 44.4% of the experimentally infected guinea pigs were able to transmit Trichinella larvae to their offspring in utero. The number of infected animals in the litters of Mongolian gerbils was 31.3%, and in the hamster litters 21.0%. The results for the vertical transmission in white outbred rats were negative.
Thus, it has been shown that vertical transmission of trichinellosis does occur in some rodent species (from the Caviidae and Muridae families), as well as in some carnivores (the Felidae family). Infection rates in the offspring were significantly lower than those in the adult animals, for all laboratory animals tested.

Keywords: trichinellosis, laboratory animals, vertical transmission, trichinelloscopy