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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
Long-Term Catheterization of the Intestinal Lymph Trunk and Collection of Lymph in Neonatal Pigs
Published on: March 5, 2016
Early stages of development of the Taenia solium metacestode in pigs
Gerardo Salas Garrido1, Aline S de Aluja, Fernando Constantino Casas
1Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Circuito Exterior S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico, D.F.
Abstract:
In order to identify the early stages of Taenia solium metacestodes, 12 pigs were each fed 100,000 viable eggs and later killed and necropsied at different times after infection. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and immunohistochemical techniques (IHCs) were used to identify onchospheres and cysticerci in different tissues. At 2 days postinfection (dpi) structures compatible with onchospheres were found in the lumen of the small intestine, and in the mesenteric blood vessels and lymph nodes. At 4 dpi, these same structures were observed in the small intestine, the liver, and skeletal muscles. Between 6 and 39 dpi, they were found only in skeletal muscles. Between 2 and 6 dpi the postonchospheres were circular and oval shaped and measured between 6 and 34 x 27 microm. From 14 to 39 dpi, well-developed metacestodes 550 x 750 microm were observed. IHCs support the identification of early stages of T. solium.
