Effect of host age in the distribution of adult Trichinella zimbabwensis in the small intestines of golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) and Balb C mice.

Golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) and Balb C mice were experimentally infected with Trichinella zimbabwensis to determine the effect of host age in the distribution of adult stages in the small intestines. The hamsters and mice were divided into two groups of young and old animals. Hamsters aged 90 days were designated as young and those aged 360 days were designated as old while mice of 30 days of age were designated as young and those aged 90 days as old. To recover the adult parasites of T. zimbabwensis, the small intestines of each animal were separated and divided into four equal parts and each part was slit open longitudinally. The contents were incubated in 0.85% saline for 4 h at 37 degrees C before the adult worms were recovered from the saline. They were fixed in 70% alcohol and counted under a dissecting microscope. In both young and old hamsters and mice, T. zimbabwensis adult worm counts were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the second segment of the intestines thus invariably reflecting a significantly high count (P < 0.05) in the first (anterior) half of the small intestines. From this study it was demonstrated that host-age had no effect on the distribution of T. zimbabwensis adult worms in the different segments of the small intestines of golden hamsters and Balb C mice.