The Size Attained by Hymenolepis diminuta in Different Host Species

Abstract

Hooded male (A) and albino male rats (B), male hamsters (C), and male (D) and female (E) albino mice were infected with single individuals of H. diminuta. Size of the worms twenty days after infection was estimated volumetrically. Mean worm volumes from these hosts were: A-1.33, B-1.11, C-0.57, D-0.30, and E-0.26. Differences between worms from different host species were statistically significant and are probably attributable to the size of the host gut.