Cadmium accumulation in Moniliformis moniliformis (Acanthocephala) from experimentally infected rats

The accumulation of cadmium in Moniliformis moniliformis parasitizing exper imentally infected rats that had been orally exposed to cadmium was investi gated in this study. Cadmium accumulation in the helminth and in different tissues of the host was determined using electrothermal atomic absorption s pectrometry (AAS) after a 3-week period of exposure. The mean cadmium conce ntration measured in M. moniliformis was 5.8 mu g g(-1) wet weight, which w as 20, 23, and 119 times higher than that determined in the kidney, liver. and intestine of the host. respectively. Although female worms accumulated higher amounts of cadmium than did males, no tendency emerged between the c admium concentration and the weight of individual acanthocephalans. This st udy reveals that cadmium accumulation also occurs in archiacanthocephalans, but to a lesser degree than in palaeacanthocephalans parasitizing fish. Du e to its cadmium-accumulation capacity, M. moniliformis might be used as a highly sensitive free-living bioindicator in terrestrial and urban ecosyste ms.