Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T16:40:21.571Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The behaviour of suckling rats to oral and intraperitoneal infection with a virulent strain of Toxoplasma gondii

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

C. Kulasiri
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England

Extract

Suckling rats of various ages were infected with large doses of the 'RH' strain of Toxoplasma gondii either by intraperitoneal injection or by feeding. Among the intraperitoneally infected rats of different age-groups, the percentage of survival remained low up to 23-day-old rats, after which it increased sharply. The percentage of infection was 100%. Among the rats infected by feeding, the percentage of survival was low in rats up to 5 days old at the time of feeding, after which it increased sharply and remained more or less constant. The percentage of infection decreased gradually with increasing age. These results are discussed in the light of previous knowledge.

My thanks are due to Professor P. C. C. Garnham for his interest in this study and for providing me with the facilities. My thanks are also due to Mr Z. W. Pokrzywnicki of the Department of Bacteriology for his assistance with the Polish literature.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1962

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Callot, J. & Puech, J. (1952). Toxoplasmose du rat blanc. Ann. Parasit. Hum. Comp. 27, 51–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Culbertson, J. T. (1939). The immunisation of rats of different age groups against Trypanosoma lewisi by the administration of specific antiserum per os. J. Parasit. 25, 181–2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dymowska, Z., Kozłowska, D. & Włodek, Z. (1955). Próby zakazenia Toksoplazma bialych szczurów oraz poszukiwanie toksoplazmy u dzikich szezurów. Med. dośw. Mikrob. 7, 71–5.Google Scholar
Eyles, D. E. (1952). Toxoplasma in the Norway rat. J. Parasit. 38, 226–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eyles, D. E. (1954). Serologic response of white rats to Toxoplasma infection. J. Parasit. 40, 7783.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halliday, R. (1955). The absorption of antibodies from immune sera by the gut of the young rat. Proc. Roy. Soc. B, 143, 408–13.Google ScholarPubMed
Halliday, R. (1956). The termination of the capacity of young rats to absorb antibody from the milk. Proc. Roy. Soc. B, 145, 431–7.Google ScholarPubMed
Halliday, R. & Kekwick, R. A. (1957). Electrophoretic analysis of the sera of young rats. Proc. Roy. Soc. B, 146, 179–85.Google ScholarPubMed
Jacobs, L. (1953). The biology of Toxoplasma. Amer. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2, 365–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jacobs, L. & Jones, F. E. (1950). The parasitemia in experimental toxoplasmosis. J. Infect. Dis. 87, 7889.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jacobs, L., Remington, J. S. & Melton, M. L. (1960). The resistance of the encysted form of Toxoplasma gondii. J. Parasit. 46, 1121.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lainson, R. (1955). Toxoplasmosis in England. II. Variation factors in the pathogenesis of Toxoplasma infections: the sudden increase in virulence of a strain after passage in multimammate rats and canaries. Ann. Trop. Med. Parasit. 49, 397416.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewis, W. P. & Markell, E. K. (1958). Acquisition of immunity to toxoplasmosis by the newborn rat. Exp. Parasit. 7, 463–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Perrin, T. L., Brigham, G. D. & Pickens, E. G. (1943). Toxoplasmosis in wild rats. J. Infect. Dis. 72, 91–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roever-Bonnet, H. de (1959). Experimental oral infection of animals with Toxoplasma gondii. Trop. Geograph. Med. 11, 162–6.Google ScholarPubMed
Ruchman, I. & Fowler, J. C. (1951). Localization and persistence of Toxoplasma in tissues of experimentally infected white rats. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol., N.Y., 76, 793–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thiel, P. H. van (1956). The persistence of Toxoplasma strains in albino rats. Leeuwenhoek ned. Tijdschr. 22, 243–7.Google ScholarPubMed
Thiel, P. H. van & Waaij, D. van der (1956). The significance of pseudocysts in the oral infection of man and animals with Toxoplasma gondii. Docum. Med. Geograph. Trop. 8, 392–6.Google Scholar
Weinman, D. & Chandler, A. H. (1954). Toxoplasmosis in swine and rodents. Reciprocal oral infection and potential human hazard. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol., N.Y., 87, 211–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed