Strongyloides venezuelensis infections in mice.

The course and intensity of Strongyloides venezuelensis infection as compared with S. ratti infection were investigated in BALB/c mice. The mice were found to be much more susceptible to infection with S. venezuelensis than S. ratti. The majority of worms inoculated were recovered from the lungs and subsequently from the small intestines, suggesting that their migratory route via the lungs to the small intestine was comparable to that of S. stercoralis in humans. Spontaneous expulsion of worms occurred by about 10 days after infection, which was the same as that of S. ratti. Different infectivities, as assessed by faecal egg excretion, age, sex and strain of mouse were observed in mice infected with S. venezuelensis, as well as in those infected with S. ratti. A striking immunity was acquired following a primary exposure to S. venezuelensis. Mice infected with S. venezuelensis are considered to provide as useful a model as those infected with S. ratti for the study of human strongyloidiasis.