Abnormalities in the WFU strain of Taenia crassiceps (Cyclophyllidea: Taeniidae) following years of propagation in mice

Evagination of metacestodes of the WFU strain of Taenia crassiceps and evaluation of the impact of immune suppression of hamsters during tapeworm development

Taeniosis-cysticercosis caused by Taenia crassiceps (Zeder, 1800) is a useful experimental model for biomedical research, in substitution of Taenia solium Linnaeus, 1758, studied during decades to develop effective vaccination, novel anti-helminthic drugs and diagnostic tools. Cysticercosis in mouse (Mus musculus Linnaeus) is achieved by the larval subculturing of the Wake Forest University (WFU) strain of T. crassiceps. Golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus (Waterhouse), has been shown to be the most suitable host for adult forms of parasite in experimental taeniosis. Metacestodes of T. crassiceps WFU multiply by budding without restrictions once inoculated into the mouse, while the number of tapeworms developed from these larvae in hamsters remains highly variable. Three objectives have been proposed to improve the infection of T. crassiceps WFU in hamsters: (1) to re-evaluate the need of immune suppression; (2) to investigate the advantage of infecting hamsters with metacestodes with in vitro protruded scolices; and (3) to compare a number of tapeworms developed from metacestodes subcultured in hamsters against those proliferated in mice. Our results demonstrated that when the evagination of murine metacestodes was high, the number of T. crassiceps WFU adults obtained from hamsters was also high. Immunosuppressive treatment remains relevant for this experimental rodent model. The hamster-to-hamster cysticercosis-taeniosis by T. crassiceps overcame the mouse-to-hamster model in the yield of adult specimens. In vitro scolex evagination and metacestode asexual proliferation in hamsters place this rodent model by T. crassiceps WFU as the most affordable experimental models with taeniids.