Survey of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei in frogs in Taiwan and its experimental infection in cats

Eighteen of 56 (32.1%) wild Rana limnocharis from central and south Taiwan were found to contain plerocercoids of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei. This is the first report of S. erinaceieuropaei infections in frogs in Taiwan, wit h the plerocercoids being recovered from the thigh and back muscles or unde r the skin. Other species of frogs examined, including nine wild R. latouch ii, one wild Buergeria robustus and 110 cultured R. rugulosa were free of i nfection. The plerocercoids were orally inoculated into four cats; three of which were each given a single plerocercoid and one a dose of three pleroc ercoids. Daily faecal examination showed that two cats started shedding egg s of S. erinaceieuropaei on day 8 postinfection (PI) and the other two on d ay 10 PI. The highest eggs per gram and eggs per day for a single worm was found to be 428,000 and 14,416,000 respectively. Only the cat inoculated wi th three plerocercoids shed proglottids in its faeces during the 2 month ob servation period.