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The effects of host sex and age on the host-parasite relationship of the third-stage larva of Amplicaecum robertsi Sprent & Mines, 1960, in the laboratory rat
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 April 2009
Extract
Male rats were more susceptible than female rats to experimental infection with Amplicaecum robertsi. This sex difference first appeared at the time of puberty, i.e. about 50 days of age.
Suckling rats were less susceptible to infection than weanlings. This was attributed to the cumulative effects of intestinal structure, the indirect effects of milk on the physio-chemical factors in the gut, and the direct effects of milk on the worms themselves.
The rat showed an age resistance to A. robertsi: this was greatest in the female host.
The larvae recovered from females were shorter than those recovered from male rats except in immature animals.
The longest larvae were recovered from suckling rats: in old rats the length of the larvae recovered became progressively shorter as the animals aged.
This investigation was carried out during the tenure of a Senior Research Fellowship from the Wool Research Council of Australia. I should like to thank Professor J. F. A. Sprent for his help and Mr C. Wilkinson for his technical assistance.
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- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1965
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