The effects of cortisone on fecundity, number, and distribution of adult Trichinella spiralis and on trichinous enteritis in the host [Mice, natural distribution, digestive system diseases, glucocorticoids, nematode infections]

The effects of cortisone on fecundity, distribution, and numbers of adult Trichinella spiralis and on enteritis in the host were compared in mice receiving different numbers of larvae. As the amount of cortisone given to mice was increased enteritis decreased, and fecundity of adult worms increased. Injection of mice with cortisone caused retention of a greater percentage of adult worms in the anterior regions of the host small bowel than in uninjected mice. By day 11 PI, when adult worms in cortisone-injected mice were more widely distributed along the host small intestine, fecundity of adult worms isolated from mice receiving more worms (500, 1,000, or 2,000 worms) attained levels previously seen only in worms from mice infected with 250 T. spiralis. The extended longevity of adult worms in cortisone-injected mice was accompanied by a severe reduction in fecundity after day 11 PI. Addition of cortisone to the culture medium at concentrations above 0.1 mg% was accompanied by a reduction in fecundity of adult worms.