Histological study of external budding in Taenia crassiceps

Abstract

The life cycle of T, crassiceps, which grows to the adult worm in the intestine of dogs and other canids and to a cysticercus in the laboratory mouse and other rodents, deviates from the usual pattern for taeniids because the embryo not only grows but later reproduces asexually by exogenous budding either subcutaneously or in body cavities. Differentiation of the bud was followed by removing cestodes at various stages of development. Living specimens, whole mounts, and serial sections, fixed and stained by various methods, were used. The subtegumental cells appear to dominate the process of budding at the abscolex end of the metacestode. Usually the bud separates from the budder after the lacuna is formed. The study demonstrates the importance of the subtegumental cells in the growth and differentiation of buds.