Pelodera strongyloides Schneider 1866: A Potential Research Tool

Axenic Pelodera strongyloides matured in a completely defined culture medium were homogenized and the homogenate separated into "nuclear," "mitochondrial," and supernatant fractions. Medium, homogenate and fractionates were analyzed using standard biochemical techniques. Ammonia was the only purine catabolite detected in the medium, but the electrolytes and enzymes of the major metabolic pathways in warm-blooded animals were found in the homogenate and fractionates. Nine months of artificial selection of an X-ray-induced mutant P. strongyloides yielded a strain with a 16-fold greater incidence of endotokia matricida (death of the mother due to internal birth of the young). Crossing with recently isolated wild-type individuals (low endotokia) reduced the frequency of endotokia in the succeeding generations to the level observed in the wild populations. The authors conclude P. strongyloides will be a suitable nematode for metabolic and genetic investigations when improved fully-defined media are developed.