Experimental infection of the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) with Schistosoma mansoni (Kenyan strain).

Eleven wild-caught nine-banded armadillos were infected with cercariae of the Kenyan strain of Schistosoma mansoni for 1-25 weeks. Distribution of eggs along and within the gut and liver was similar to that seen in human schistosomiasis. However, egg excretion was poor, eggs were small, rate of infection was low, and the prepatent period was long. From these data it is concluded that Dasypus novemcinctus is an inefficient reservoir host of S. mansoni.