An experimental transmission of porcine strains of Blastocystis sp. in the laboratory mice and gerbils.

Outbred laboratory mice were successfully infected with porcine strains of Blastocystis sp. using faecal stages as well as stages from fresh or passaged cultures. In contrast, inbred BALB/c mice and gerbils were only rarely infected and the intensity of their infection was mostly negligible. Blastocystis sp. was never observed inside the host cells. These results indicate a low host specificity of Blastocystis sp. as well as different sensitivity of investigated hosts to Blastocystis sp. infection.