Congenital transmission of Schistosoma japonicum in the rabbit

Fourteen pregnant rabbits were each infected with 300 cercariae of Schistos oma japonicum and divided into two groups. Group M (n = 8) was infected dur ing mid-gestation (the organogenetic stage) and group L (n = 6) was infecte d during late-gestation (the post-organogenetic stage). Mother rabbits and rabbit kittens were killed 45-60 days after infection and perfused in order to obtain worm counts. Furthermore, faecal egg counts and tissue egg count s from livers were obtained from the mother rabbits as well as the rabbit k ittens. All mother rabbits became infected harbouring 207.6 +/- 20.2 and 22 0.0 +/- 27.5 adult worms in group M and L, respectively. In groups M and L, 13.5% and 46.7% of the kittens were infected, respectively. In 12 of 14 li tters at least one kitten was infected. The infected kittens harboured betw een one and three adult S. japonicum. The livers of the kittens infected wi th a worm pair displaced lesions as a result of egg deposition. The results , therefore, show that congenital transmission of S. japonicumcan occur in rabbits. The close anatomical resemblance between the rabbit and human plac enta may be indicative of the presence of congenital transmission of S. jap onicum infection in humans.