The initiation and maintenance of a colony of coccidia-free wood mice ( Apodemus sylvaticus )

Higgs

1989

Parasitology

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Characteristics of four species of Eimeria isolated from Apodemus sylvaticus are described. From oocyst morphology, three are identified as E. apionodes, E. hungaryensis and E. uptoni, the fourth being unnamed. Cloning demonstrated that oocysts of E. hungaryensis were polymorphic. Previous literature relating to the taxonomy is discussed and discrepancies outlined. Species isolated from A. sylvaticus were not transmissible to Clethrionomys glareolus, but both E. hungaryensis and E. apionodes have been passaged through immunosuppressed laboratory mice, the former species more than 16 times. In both A. sylvaticus and immunosuppressed laboratory mice, endogenous development of E. hungaryensis occurred mainly in enterocytes near the tips of the villi in the first half of the small intestine, with a few parasites in the rest of the small intestine and into the large intestine. The pre-patent period was 2 days in both hosts but oocyst output was higher in the natural hosts. E. apionodes parasitized enterocytes on the sides or at the base of the villi, mainly in the last 90% of the small intestine with a few parasites in the large intestine. The pre-patent period was 7 days. Parasites, probably E. hungaryensis and E. apionodes, were also isolated from A. flavicollis.

Section: Experimental Hostsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eimeriaspecies infecting wood mice (genusApodemus) and the transfer of two species toMus musculus

Higgs

1989

Parasitology

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“…Although we believe this premise to be correct, it should be noted that there is no experimental evidence to support this hypothesis. This is one area of coccidian biology which might easily be investigated using coccidia-free hosts (see Higgs, Nowell and Ibrahim, 1987). Levine & Ivens (1990) accepted this phenomenon (see also Levine, 1988), giving for example three host species for E. apodemi and E. hungaryensis, but despite this they list Eimeria types A, B, C and D isolated from A. flavicollis by Lewis & Ball (1983) separately from morphologically similar/identical parasites of A. sylvaticus.…”

Section: The Species Of Eimeriamentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the species of Eimeria infecting hosts in the genus Apodemus

Higgs

1991

Syst Parasitol

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“…Details of the colony of coccidia-free wood mice have already been given by Higgs, Nowell & Ibrahim (1988). Inbred strains of laboratory mice were provided by the Department of Microbiology, University of Reading and were derived from stock acquired from OLAC Ltd (BALB/c and CBA), National Institute for Medical Research, London (DBA/2) and University of Cambridge ('beige' mice -bg/bg on C57BL background, Green (1981)).…”

Section: Hostsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transfer ofEimeria apionodesfrom wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) to laboratory mice (Mus musculus)

Ibrahim

1991

Parasitology

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Transfer of Eimeria apionodes from wood mice directly into untreated laboratory mice was unsuccessful but transfer into corticosteroid-treated animals produced an oocyst output, about 1000 times less than that observed from wood mice after a similar inoculum. Repeated passage through corticosteroid-treated laboratory mice resulted in a line adapted to survival in untreated animals. This line was compared with the parent strain maintained in wood mice and some features of the oocyst output patterns, notably the pre-patent period, appeared to be controlled by the host species. The oocyst production of each population was higher in the host species to which it was adapted than in the other host species (P less than 0.001). Once adapted to laboratory mice, the line produced insignificantly different levels of oocysts in corticosteroid-treated and untreated animals (P greater than 0.05).