The effect of temperature on the development and survival of the infective larvae of Strongyloides ratti Sandground, 1925

Abstract

The development of the free-living infective larvae of a homogonic strain Strongyloides ratti is described.The larvae develop only between 15 and 34 °C. Transfer experiments show the temperature block to be in the preparation for the second moult.Within the temperature range 15–34 °C, increasing the temperature speeds up the rate of development of all the larval stages equally, the Q₁₀ for development being 2·5.The maximum percentage development occurs at 20 °C. The percentage development is highest in faeces–peat culture (95% development at 20 °C), whilst the percentage development in charcoal and vermiculite cultures is about the same (75% development at 20 °C.).Larvae grown on charcoal cultures are larger than those grown on vermiculite, which are larger than those grown on peat. No significant difference was found in the length:oesophagus and length:width ratios or in the variability of larvae grown at different temperatures or on different culture media.Different worm densities in the cultures of from 2000 to 10000 larvae per g of culture did not affect either the size of the infective larve or the percentage development.The optimum temperature for survival is 15 °C. Worms grown at 20 °C lived longer than worms grown at any other temperature. There was no evidence of temperature adaptation by the larvae.The infective larvae are positively thermotactic, and show maximum activity at 37 °C.I should like to thank my supervisor, Dr Tate, for his advice and encouragement. The work was carried out during the tenure of a Medical Research Council Scholarship.