Permissibility of Mongolian gerbil for Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection and utility of this animal model for anthelmintic studies.

The Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) has been indicated to be a useful experimental model host for studying nematode. To understand the possibility of the Mongolian gerbil as an animal model of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection, we investigated the development, migration, and tissue distribution of A. cantonensis and pathological changes in the brain and lungs of the infected Mongolian gerbils. The first stage larvae of A. cantonensis in the stool of the infected gerbils were examined by direct smear method at 45th day postinfection (PI). In addition, a group of the infected gerbils were orally fed with albendazole (100 mg/kg/day/gerbil) at the 8th day PI and continued for 3 consecutive days. The results showed that mortality rate of Mongolian gerbils infected with 10 third stage larvae of A. cantonensis was about 62% at the 30th day PI; the peak period of death was from the 23rd to 30th day PI. About 93% (27/29) of the worms in survivors of infected gerbils could develop to complete sexual maturity at the 46th day PI, and the examinations of 12 gerbils in G3 group revealed that first stage larvae of A. cantonensis could be found in the feces of 4 gerbils at the 45th day PI. About 80% of the worms were in the brain of infected gerbils and 20% in the lungs from the 23rd to 25th day PI; during migration of the worms from the brain to lungs, more than 90% of the worms arrived to the lungs and less than 10% of them still stayed in the brain during from the 45th to 46th day PI. Pathological examination revealed that injuries induced by A. cantonensis in infected gerbils were characterized by eosinophilic meningitis and granulomatous pneumonia. Otherwise, albendazole exhibited a good larvicidal activity in the infected Mongolian gerbils. In contrast with infected control group, no gerbils died in administering albendazole, no worms were recovered, and no nervous system symptoms caused by the infection occurred at the 26th day PI. These findings clearly indicated that Mongolian gerbils should be a potential incomplete permissive host for A. cantonensis and are very susceptive to A. cantonensis infection. Moreover, it has been certified that gerbils as an experimental animal can be used in screening of drug against A. cantonensis. The study provides us a new, selectable experimental animal model for research of A. cantonensis.