RESUMO
The susceptibility of inbred GN and APG hamsters to Brugia pahangi infection was studied. Male GN hamsters infected subcutaneously with 100 infective larvae showed 100% patency with the average prepatent period of 69 days. The average microfilarial density was 148/40 c.mm at 26 weeks and reached 1,000/40 c.mm at days 280. The rate of adult recovery was as high as 36%. Most worms were recovered from the heart and lungs (46%) and testes (40%). The male GN hamster-B. pahangi model could be a good substitution for the jird-B. pahangi model. Female GN and male APG hamsters seemed to be less susceptible than male GN hamsters. However, they could still be a better alternative to outbred hamsters due to their high rates of patency (92 and 100%), relatively high microfilarial densities (31 and 39/40 c.mm at 26 weeks) and reasonable rates of adult recovery (23.5 and 17.2%).