Dipetalonema viteae in Mastomys natalensis: effect of pregnancy and lactation on establishment and course of infection
Chatterjee, R.K.; Singh, D.P.; Misra, S.
Tropical Medicine and Parasitology Official Organ of Deutsche Tropenmedizinische Gesellschaft and of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit 39(1): 29-30
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0177-2392 PMID: 3387824 Document Number: 320696
Female M. [Praomys] natalensis (GRA-Giessen strain) aged 16-20 weeks at day 8-10 of pregnancy, day 2-3 of lactation or neither pregnant nor lactating were infected with D. viteae. The prepatent period was the same for all animals but higher densities of microfilariae in blood occurred in lactating and pregnant groups than in the controls. Patency was longer (up to 210 days pi) in pregnant and lactating females than in controls (up to 150 days pi). The mean recoveries of worms at autopsy in pregnant, lactating and control animals were 28.75, 28.90 and 15.60 at day 90 pi, and 7.33, 6.85 and 3.00 at day 210 pi, respectively. The mean numbers of nodules containing dead and degenerated worms in pregnant, lactating and control animals were 8.22, 6.28 and 3.00 respectively at day 210 pi.