The Role of Reduced Food Intake in Alcoholic Debilitation of Mice Infected with Hymenolepis

Abstract

Studies in mice are described, showing the relationship of avitaminosis and alcoholic debilitation in reducing the resistance to H. nana var. fraterna. Aleohdlic mice were shown to consume much less food per day than non-alcoholic controls. When the latter were forced to fast daily during the expt. so that their food intake was about the same as that of the alcoholic mice, they showed after infection a high percentage development of cysticercoids, which was about the same as that of the alcoholic mice but considerably greater than that of the non-alcoholic, non-fasting controls. This demonstrated that the effect of the alcohol in reducing resistance to Hy-menolepis is indirect by interfering with normal food intake. Later tests showed that daily polyvitamin injns. during the expt. prevented this greatly increased percentage development in both groups, as well as reducing the percentage in the non-alcoholic, non-fasting controls. This meant that reduced resistance to Hymenolepis brought about by alcohol and by forced fasting was due in most part to avitaminosis. Studies are in progress to determine, if possible, the particular vita-min(s) involved.