Strongyloides ratti: studies of 75Se-labelled larvae of the homogonic strain in female hosts

Abstract

SummaryA prediction of the hypothesis of Wilson (1977, 1980a, b) to account for larval migration of homogonic Strongyloides ratti in the host is that the pattern of invasion of the mammary gland of a lactating rat will be quantitatively similar on both sides and independent of the point of entry into the body. Twenty-one suckled mother rats in 6 experiments in which live 75Se-labelled 3rd-stage homogonic larvae were injected under the skin of the upper flank had an overall distribution of label 30 h post-injection, as a percentage of the initial dose, in the quadrants, I (rear, injection side), II (rear, opposite injection side), III (front, injection side) and IV (front, opposite injection side) of the mammary gland as follows: 27·4%, 1·27%, 1·89% and 1·24%. Quantitative changes in mammary label between 30 and 48 h post-injection using live larvae, differences between mothers and virgins, and results after injection of heat-killed labelled larvae, confirm that the pattern is representative of the behaviour of normal (unlabelled) worms when injected. The theory is therefore disproved. The findings are put forward as the first quantitative evidence for major lymphatic involvement in migration of a skin-penetrating round worm. They need confirmation in similar experiments in which worms are allowed to penetrate the skin naturally. The role of isotope-labelled larvae versus traditional methods of estimating parasite content of host tissue is discussed.