The effect of the expulsion phase ofTrichinella spiralisonHymenolepis diminutainfection in rats

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Abstract
SUMMARY: The effect of the intestinal changes brought about by the expulsion ofTrichinella spiralisin rats was studied in relation to the growth and survival of a concurrent infection withHymenolepis diminuta, a cestode not normally rejected by the rat in low-level infections. Growth ofH.diminutawas stunted in rats givenT.spiralisjust before, or after, infection withH.diminuta, the stunting being more pronounced when the cestode was given closer to the period of inflammation. There was no loss of the cestode from dual-infected rats and no evidence for destrobilation was found. LowerT.spiralisburdens had a correspondingly weaker effect on growth ofH.diminuta, and stunting was abolished by administration of the anti-inflammatory drug cortisone acetate. It is concluded that the stunting ofH.diminutais probably due to the non-specific inflammatory component of the rat's response toT.spiralisinfection.