<i>Uncinaria stenocephala</i> model in the laboratory

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to model the pathogen Uncinaria stenocephala in laboratory rodents.Materials and methods. The material for research was the nematode U. stenocephala. The source of the infection was a domestic dog from the Stupinsky district of the Moscow region. In fecal samples, from 90 to 360 helminth eggs were recorded in 1 g of feces. Helminth eggs were obtained by flotation using the Fulleborn and McMaster method. A suspension of larvae was taken into an insulin syringe to a volume of 1 ml and each dose was counted in a watch glass with a diameter of 8 cm. DBA mice and laboratory Beagle dogs were used in the experiments.Results and discussion. An oral challenge dose of 100 U. stenocephala (L3) larvae was fatal to laboratory mice. Over the 6th day of life, the animals decreased their body weight by 3 g. With a reduced oral dose, for 7–14 days the animals showed ruffled hair and, in isolated cases, dyspepsia. When the infective material was administered subcutaneously, no clinical signs of infection were observed in experimental rodents. After infecttion of Beagle dogs with U. stenocephala larvae, no clinical picture of nematode parasitism was observed. After 21 days, the first helminth eggs appeared in the feces of carnivorous animals. On the 28th day and beyond, the release of helminth eggs in dogs increased. From 360 to 2370 U. stenocephala eggs were found in 1 g of feces.