Trichinella spiralis: Effect of environmental temperature on mice

Effects of environmental temperature on Trichinella spiralis-infected mice were studied. Groups of mice were acclimated to temperatures of 8–10 C, 20–25 C, and 36 C for a period of 5 days and then were exposed to 100 infective juveniles of T. spiralis via stomach intubation. After being maintained at the above temperatures for 5 days, they were examined for adult worms. Results indicate that mice maintained at 36 C tend to harbor significantly higher numbers of adults and that there is a direct relationship between temperature and worm number. Effects of mouse strain differences on these results were also examined. Of those strains tested, inbred Swiss albino mice proved to be superior hosts for T. spiralis.