Worm burden and mucosal mast cell response in DA and F344/N rat strains infected with Hymenolepis diminuta.

After oral administration of 1 or 5 cysticercoids of Hymenolepis diminuta, 5-week-old DA male rats showed significant mastocytosis. In F344/N rats, however, neither mastocytosis nor worm loss occurred during a 6 week infection. With regard to mucosal mast cell response to infection with H. diminuta, DA rats can be looked on as high responders and F344/N rats as low responders.