When Small-Ear-Miniature pigs subcutaneously injected once with
frozen oncospheres of Taiwan Taenia, Korea Taenia,
T. saginata or T. solium emulsified with Freund's
complete adjuvant (1·6 × 104/0·4 ml)
were challenged orally with 1·6 × 104
viable eggs of Taiwan Taenia 41 days later, they all showed strong
resistance compared with pigs vaccinated with T. solium.
Most pigs (5/8) of the former 3 groups harboured no cysticerci. The number
of cysticerci was 5·5±9·1 (mean±S.D.),
whereas pigs of the T. solium group and control group harboured
160±30·1 and 661±637·2 cysticerci, respectively. All
cysticerci recovered from vaccinated pigs and most cysticerci in control
pigs were degenerated or calcified at 36–55 days
after oral egg challenge. These results strongly suggest that oncospheres of
Taiwan Taenia and Korea Taenia are very
similar to T. saginata in their immunogenicity in pigs.