A comparison of the biological characteristics of Trichinella spiralis var. pseudospiralis between mice and bird hosts

Abstract

Biological characteristics and phenotypic variations of Trichinella spiralis var. pseudospiralis were determined from Crl: COBS CFW (Swiss Webster) mice, Coturnix coturnix japonica, Larus argentatus, L. delawarensis, and L. pipixcan. Trichinella spiralis var. pseudospiralis was located in the anterior part of the intestine of all hosts, but when surgically transplanted in mice the parasite did equally well in all sections of the small intestine. Differences in biological characteristics of T. s. var. pseudospiralis were noted between mouse and bird hosts and appear to be related to the more variable genome of the bird hosts, the nature of the digestive tract, and the intensity and timing of the host immune response. Larvae of T. s. var. pseudospiralis were concentrated in the muscles of legs, breasts, and thoracic and abdominal cavities. It was concluded that T. s. var. pseudospiralis may be a relatively recent parasite of birds that has limited chance for success.