Some experiments on the nutrition of Moniliformis dubius Meyer (Acanthocephala)

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Abstract
When rats infected with Moniliformis dubius were dosed orally with labelled sodium phosphate considerable quantities of 32P were found to have been absorbed by the gut-mucosa of the rats and the tissues of the parasites. When the rats were dosed intraperitoneally considerable quantities of 32P were found in the gut-mucosa of the rats but only small quantities in the tissues of the parasites. Similar results were obtained when the experiment was repeated using labelled L-leucine 14C in place of the phosphate and estimating 14C in place of 32P.The available evidence indicates that M. dubius depends for some of its food-requirements on the contents of the gut of its host rather than on the tissues of its host.Preliminary experiments showed that the rate of uptake of L-leucine 14C by M. dubius in vitro was decreased if one of the following amino acids were present: DL-valine, DL-serine or DL-methionine.The author wishes to thank the Department of Biochemistry of the University of Adelaide for the assistance given to him with the experiments on the estimation of 14C.
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