Experience with a perfo-suction system for the recovery of schistosomes from laboratory rodents

Abstract

Worm recoveries are an integral part of research work in schistosomiasis. An improved quantitative technique for the recovery of schistosome worms from laboratory rodents is described. Up to 95-100% of the worms are normally recovered, and up to 80 animals can be perfused per day.

The infectivity of Schistosoma mansoni in mice, following dipping with an acaricide

“…The parasite is maintained in our laboratories by alternate passage through Biomphalaria glabrata snails and multimammate mice, Mastomys coucha (ZA-IDTE) (Dettman et al, 1987;Versnel, 1988). Infectivity of the cercariae was assessed 6 weeks post-infection by recovery of adult worms from the heptatic portal vein using the perfusion technique of Jackson et al (1982). Worms were counted and sexed, using a dissecting microscope.…”

Observations on the field transmission dynamics of Schistosoma mansoni and S. mattheei in southern Natal, South Africa

“…Ten minutes was the maximum that could be tolerated when temperatures fell to around 16 °C. Worms were recovered from the rodents by perfusion 8-12 weeks after exposure using the apparatus described by Jackson, Dettman & Higgins-Opitz (1982). Additional rodents were exposed to cercariae shed by individual infected snails in order to assess the prevalence of unisexual and bisexual infections in the snail populations.…”

The infection characteristics of the antelope schistosomes, Schistosoma margrebowiei and S. leiperi, in inbred BALB/c mice and in Mastomys coucha

“…Worms were recovered by means of the perfusion method of Jackson et al (1982). Briefly, this entailed dissection of the animal to expose the heart and portal vein and expulsion of the worms by the introduction of perfusion fluid (comprising tap water containing 0.85% sodium chloride (mass/vol), 0.75% tri-sodium citrate (mass/vol) and 1 g/1 of pentobarbitone sodium) into the left ventricle of the heart.…”