A comparison of two proteolytic techniques for hatching Hymenolepis diminuta eggs.

Two techniques for hatching taeniid eggs, based on enzymic proteolysis and disaggregation of the embryophore, were evaluated using Hymenolepis diminuta. Both techniques proved ineffective on H. diminuta in their original form, achieving only a hatching rate of 1-2%. However, a gradual increase in pepsin concentration up to 3 mg ml-1 in the pretreatment solution enhanced hatching significantly (P less than 0.05). Normal or immune rat serum had no appreciable effect on the hatching process.