Mesocestoides corti: Inorganic components in calcareous corpuscles

Abstract

Inorganic components in calcareous corpuscles from the cestode, Mesocestoides corti, have been identified by the use of powder X-ray diffraction and emission spectroscopic methods. Identified inorganic compounds of carcareous corpuscles isolated from residual worm tissue by (1) potassium hydroxide, (2) ethylenediamine, or (3) trypsin digestion methods and heated to 300°C, were: (1), Mg(OH) 2; (2), CaMg(CO 3) 2; and (3), CaSO 4,2CaSO 4 · H 2O, MgO, CaMg(CO 3) 2, and CaMg 2 3 Fe 1 3 (CO 3) 2 . Elemental analysis of the calcareous corpuscles showed the presence of Al, B, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Si, and Na. The use of the enzymatic digestion method, rather than the KOH or ethylenediamine method, to isolate the calcareous corpuscles allows for more complete X-ray diffraction analysis of the corpuscles at lower temperatures. It was found that when mice infected with M. corti tetrathyridia were given SrCl 2 in their drinking water, that Sr was incorporated into the calcareous corpuscles of the worms.