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Comparative development of Echinococcus multilocularis in its definitive hosts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2006

R. C. A. THOMPSON ,
C. M. O. KAPEL ,
R. P. HOBBS  and
P. DEPLAZES
R. C. A. THOMPSON
Affiliation:
World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for the Molecular Epidemiology of Parasitic Infections, School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150
C. M. O. KAPEL
Affiliation:
WHO/FAO Collaborating Center for Parasitic Zoonoses, Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Dyrlaegevej 100, DK 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
R. P. HOBBS
Affiliation:
World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for the Molecular Epidemiology of Parasitic Infections, School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150
P. DEPLAZES
Affiliation:
WHO/FAO Collaborating Center for Parasitic Zoonoses, Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Dyrlaegevej 100, DK 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark WHO Collaborating Center for Parasitic Zoonoses, Institute of Parasitology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 266A, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Abstract

The comparative development of Echinococcus multilocularis was studied in its definitive hosts, the fox, dog, cat and raccoon dog, beyond the pre-patent period to 90 days post-infection. All host species, apart from cats were susceptible to infection and capable of supporting substantial worm burdens. Although worms in cats matured and produced thick-shelled eggs, their overall development was retarded compared to that in other species in which the parasite matured rapidly producing large populations of gravid worms. E. multilocularis matured rapidly in foxes and raccoon dogs and this was sustained in raccoon dogs but not in foxes in which maturation of worms declined during the later stages of infection, in contrast to that in both raccoon dogs and dogs. These populations were sustained for longer in raccoon dogs and dogs compared to foxes. Cats would appear to have only a minor role in the maintenance of E. multilocularis in endemic areas, and infections in cats may be of minimal public health significance. In contrast, foxes, dogs and the recently recognized definitive host the raccoon dog, are all capable of playing significant roles in the epidemiology of alveolar echinococcosis. This study also demonstrated that the developmental processes of growth, segmentation, proglottization and maturation in adult Echinococcus are independent and can be influenced by environmental factors thus confirming earlier in vitro observations.

Keywords

Echinococcus multilocularisadult developmentdogsraccoon dogsfoxescats
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 132 , Issue 5 , May 2006 , pp. 709 - 716
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press

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