Worm establishment and egg production of Schistosoma japonicum in pigs infected by percutaneous methods or intramuscular injection.

Worm establishment and egg production were compared in Landrace/Yorkshire crossbred pigs infected with Schistosoma japonicum using 3 different infection techniques. S. japonicum worm establishment and overall egg production following intramuscular injection of cercariae suspended in Iscove's medium exceeded that in pigs infected by the leg immersion or the coverslip percutaneous technique. However, the egg production per mature female was similar for all three infection methods. The results support the use of intramuscular injection of medium-suspended cercariae as an effective, safe, rapid and convenient infection method for studies on the population biology of S. japonicum in pigs when dermal cercarial penetration is not required.