Parthenogenetic Development of Eggs from a Cestode Cultured Aseptically in vitro

Abstract

IT has been shown that plerocercoid larvæ of the cestodes Schistocephalus solidus and Ligula intestinalis may be cultured to maturity in vitro in liquid media at 40° C. under sterile conditions. In the early experiments^1,2, although sexually mature tapeworms developed, eggs produced in vitro failed on testing to form embryos. Histological examination revealed that spermatozoa were not present in the receptaculum seminis of the proglottids, suggesting that failure of eggs to form embryos was attributable to non-fertilization. In later experiments with Ligula³, a small number (6 per cent) of embryonated eggs were obtained from larvæ cultured in horse serum.