Observations on coprophagy and the transmission of Hymenolepis nana infections in mice.

Young, previously uninfected white mice became infected with Hymenolepis nana when exposed in small cages to parasite eggs which had been sprinkled in suspension onto the floor of their cage, or to faeces from mice with patent infections. The mean daily probabilities of infection for individual eggs under these two conditions were 2-9 X 10(-6) and 5-4 X 10(-6) respectively. If the mice were starved for 24 h prior to exposure to faeces, then the mean daily probability of infection increased to 2-6 X 10(-4). These differences in transmission are interpreted as being due to differences in the extent of coprophagy; they are not due to any effect of starvation on the hatchability of eggs.