Moisture Stress Effects on Survival of Infective Trichostrongylus colubriformis Larvae
Schmidt, J.M.; Todd, K.S.; Levine, N.D.
Journal of Nematology 6(1): 27-29
1974
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-300X PMID: 19319360 Document Number: 71271
Water was evaporated from suspensions of infective Trichostrongylus colubriformis larvae in tap, distilled, or triple-distilled water by exposure to 50 or 70% R.H. at 20 and 30 deg C. Larvae were rehydrated daily for 4 hours in the same type of water in which they had originally been desiccated, were observed for motility and counted, and were returned to the same R.H. and temperature and re-desiccated. Longest survival was 30 days (at 20 deg C and 70% R.H.). At both temperatures, controls and desiccated larvae survived longer in triple and single-distilled water than in tap water. Larvae survived better at 20 than at 30 deg C and at 50 than at 70% R.H. In each case however, only a small percentage of larvae survived to the end of the experiment.