TAENIA-SOLIUM CYSTICERCOSIS IN YOUNG-PIGS - AGE AT FIRST INFECTION AND HISTOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

In spite of the vast knowledge that exists in the fields of immunology , biochemistry, diagnosis and treatment, the basic facts about the dyn amics of the transmission of Taenia solium are incomplete. The present study determines the age at which piglets become infected in a rural community of Mexico, where the climate is divided into the dry and rai ny seasons. It was found that piglets become infected during the dry m onths, not so during the rainy season. They pick up eggs at the age of 2 to 4 weeks and the metacestodes are present in the liver. In older animals aged 4 to 6 months, the larvae were also found in the muscles. In a 6-month-old pig larvae were found in the muscles and brain. Thes e findings may be explained by behavioural studies of free living pigs and climatic conditions. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.