Effect of Single Inocula, of Varied Size, on the Resistance of Hamsters to Trichinella spiralis

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Abstract
362 hamsters were inoculated with graded single inocula up to 8000 T. spiralis larvae. No significant differences in the ratio between the average number of larvae recovered and the size of inoculum was observed in groups receiving between 125 and 1000 larvae. Time of the greatest worm elimination from the intestinal tract varied with the size of inoculum and occurred during the 1st week following inoculation. The LD50 of hamsters of the age and size used was about 850 larvae. Size of the inoculum was inversely related to the average time of survival. In general, death occurred primarily at the time of the muscular phase when the inoculum was 3000 larvae or less, and at the time of the intestinal phase when the inoculum was 4000 larvae or more. The regularity of the results suggests the possibility of using lethal infections as an additional tool for immunological and chemotherapeutic studies.