Study on the elimination of Angiostrongylus costaricensis first stage larvae in the experimental infection of swiss mice

ABSTRACT

Abdominal angiostrongylosis is a nematode infection of wild rodents. Human infection may result in severe abdominal disease and has been reported from several countries in the Americas. The domestic mouse, Mus musculus, has been found with natural infection and, like other urban rodents, should not be considered a natural host for Angiostrongylus costaricensis. Quantification of parasitic forms released for transmission may better express the coevolutionary status in parasite-host relationship. With this objective, five groups of experimentally infected Swiss mice were followed for up to 155 days post-infection (PI) days and the quantification of first stage larvae (LI) output revealed an irregular elimination of LI and a huge variation in the number of LI eliminated daily by individual animals (1 to 6340 LI/g). Overall mortality was 72 per cent (range 28 per cent to 100 per cent) at seven weeks PI. In conclusion, abdominal angiostrongylosis in M. musculus presents high mortality and a very variable and irregular elimination of LI in feces.