Interactions between anomalous excretory and tegumental epithelia in aberrant Mesocestoides tetrathyridia from Apodemus sylvaticus in Spain

Abstract

Tetrathyridia of Mesocestoides sp. (Platyhelminthes: Cestoda) were collected from the body cavities of Apodemus sylvaticus (Rodentia: Muridae) in Murcia, Spain, and processed by routine microscopical and histological techniques, including examination with brightfield, phase-contrast, and differential-interference-contrast optics. All specimens examined had solid hindbodies (i.e., lacked a primary lacuna), thus conforming to the plerocercoid metacestode type. The vast majority of tetrathyridia were highly aberrant, often lacking a scolex, varying greatly in body size, and exhibiting buds or duplexed body forms indicative of asexual proliferation. All of the aberrant forms, including those with normal scoleces and apparent absence of proliferation, possessed anomalous multi-lobed invaginations of the hindbody tegument, which were attached at many points to abnormally dilated excretory ducts. The tegumental and excretory epithelia were joined basally, but did not share a common lumen. These abnormal connections between these aberrant tegumental modifications and the abnormally dilated excretory ducts have not been described previously for any metacestode. This report contributes to understanding previously published reports of abnormalities in other plerocercoid metacestodes, including Mesocestoides spp. and diphyllobothriidean spargana.