The potential role of the possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) as a transport host of Toxocara canis

Abstract

Extract

Sprent (1952) demonstrated that second-stage larvae of the dog roundworm Toxocara cants migrated from the intestine into the somatic tissues of white mice which had ingested embryonated eggs of this parasite. The larvae passed through the liver during the early period of infection and, after 2 to 6 months, occurred almost exclusively in the brain and musculature (Sprent, 1953). The parasite persisted as a second-stage larva. Done, et al. (1960) and Sweatman, et al. (1962) demonstrated in swine and sheep, respectively, that larvae apparently remain for a longer period in the liver and other parenchymatous organs than Sprent observed in the mouse. In sheep, discrete focal lesions were produced in the liver, kidney, lungs, heart, some voluntary muscles, and brain.