HUMAN TAENIA EGGS DEVELOP INTO CYSTICERCI IN SCID MICE

The intermediate hosts for Taenia saginata and T. solium are cattle an d pigs (and humans for the latter), respectively. In vitro-hatched (bu t not activated) oncospheres of both Asian Taenia (T. saginata asiatic a, a new subspecies of T. saginata or T. asiatica, a new species) and T. solium injected subcutaneously into the backs of mice with severe c ombined immunodeficiency (scid) developed into fully matured cysticerc i. Five-month-old metacestodes of Asian Taenia had no hooklets and wer e bigger in size than those previously reported and similar to those o f T. saginata. Their morphology suggested that the cysticerci were mor e advanced than those in the intermediate host animals. It is suggeste d that scid mice are valuable experimental animal models for studying human taeniid cestode infections.