Studies on the Microfilarial Periodicity of Litomosoides Carinii, Filariid Parasite of the Cotton Rat

Abstract

Summary 1. The microfilaria of Litomosoides carinii, parasite of the pleural cavity of cotton rats, does not exhibit a nocturnal or diurnal periodicity. Likewise no longer periodic cycle was encountered. 2. Variations in the microfilarial counts greater than can be accounted for by experimental error and chance alone may occasionally be encountered and may be due to variation in parturition rate, greater numbers of the microfilariae invading the blood stream at one time or the death of an unusual number over a short period.