Trichinella spiralis: newborn larval migration route in rats reexamined

The route by which Trichinella spiralis newborn larvae migrate from the small intestine to striated muscle was studied in inbred AO and random-bred Sprague-Dawley rats. Newborn larvae were quantitatively recovered from the thoracic duct lymph, peritoneal cavity, and hepatic portal vein blood during the course of a primary infection with 4000 muscle larvae. The total recovery of newborn larvae assessed in this manner was compared with the number of muscle larvae in control rats receiving the same infection. In both strains of rats, most of the newborn larvae were recovered from hepatic portal vein blood, fewer than 3% of newborn larvae were recovered from the thoracic duct lymph and peritoneal cavity combined. Long-term drainage of thoracic duct lymph (greater than 24 hr) significantly increased newborn larval recovery over short-term drainage (less than 24 hr). We conclude that there are several natural pathways of newborn larval migration that result in muscle larval establishment. These include direct invasion of capillaries and lymphatics in the intestine as well as migration through the intestinal serosa to the peritoneal cavity. In both AO and Sprague-Dawley rats, greater than or equal to 97% of newborn larvae migrate via the hepatic portal vein blood to the general circulation.