Pig as a favorable animal for Taenia saginata asiatica infection.

The epidemiology of Taenia saginata in some parts of Asia is confusing, in that beef does not appear to be the source of infection. In some areas, beef is either not available or not eaten raw, whereas pork at times is eaten uncooked. In light of this situation, we have exposed pigs and other animals to infection with strains of T. saginata to establish their ability to serve as intermediate hosts. Eggs of Taiwan Taenia, Korea Taenia, Indonesia Taenia, Thailand Taenia, Philippines Taenia, Ethiopia Taenia, and Madagascar Taenia were fed to 83 pigs of three strains: 43 Small-Ear Miniature (SEM), 34 Landrace Small-Ear Miniature (L-SEM), and 6 Duroc-Yorkshire-Landrace (DYL). We also fed the eggs to 10 Holstein calves, 17 Sannean goats, and 4 monkeys (Macaca cyclopis). We succeeded in infecting SEM (infection rate 88%, cysticercus recovery rate 19.1%), L-SEM (83%, 1.1%), and DYL (100%, 0.3%) pigs with Taiwan Taenia; SEM (100%, 1.7%), L-SEM (100%, 5.6%), and DYL (100%, 0.06%) pigs with Korea Taenia; SEM (100%, 22%) and L-SEM (100%, 1.6%) pigs with Indonesia Taenia; SEM (75%, 0.06%) pigs with Thailand Taenia SEM (100%, 11%) pigs with Philippines Taenia; SEM (80%, 0.005%) pigs with Ethiopia Taenia; SEM (100%, 0.2%) pigs with Madagascar Taenia. Holstein calves became infected with Taenia from Taiwan (100%, 1.1%), Korea (100%, 0.03%), Thailand (100%, 0.2%), and the Philippines (100%, 6%); however, the cysticerci of Taenia from Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines were degenerated and/or calcified. Sannean goats became infected with Taenia from Taiwan (33%, 0.01%) and Korea (50%, 0.02%), while monkeys became infected with Taenia from Taiwan (50%, 0.01%). However, the cysticerci were degenerated and/ or calcified. Therefore, these strains of pig seem to be favorable animal models for experimental studies of T. saginata-like tapeworms, with the SEM pig the most favorable.