THE PENETRATION OF PNEUMOSTRONGYLUS TENUIS INTO THE TISSUES OF WHITE-TAILED DEER

Abstract

Three fawns of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), given 1500–2200 infective larvae of Pneumostrongylus tenuis Dougherty, 1945, were autopsied 65, 90, and 144 hours later. Detailed examination of these fawns indicated most larvae penetrated the ventral curvature of the abomasum and moved into the mesentery and omentum where some could be found up to 6 days after infection. The subsequent course of larvae was not established conclusively. Small numbers reached the liver and lungs. However, the high incidence of eosinophil infiltrations associated with nerves ventral to the lumbosacral region of the vertebral column suggests worms may migrate directly to the spinal cord from the peritoneal cavity. Evidence for any other route was not obtained. There was no evidence, in this and other published work, that larvae reach the central nervous system before 10 days.