Abstract
A method of preparation for the small vesicles from Echinococcus multilocular is metacestodes and a method of colorimetric quantitation of the viability of germinal cells in the vesicles were reported. Percoll step gradient was used to prepare the vesicles. They could be found at 16% and 28% of the percoll interfaces. The vesicle freshly recovered from metacestodes took up MTT and were stained blue. On the contrary, heat-killed or formalin-fixed vesicles did not absorbed MTT. albendazole sulfoxide suppressed the absorption in a dose-dependent maner. Furthermore, the vesicles which absorbed MTT could infect gerbils with great efficiency, but those not taking up MTT had poor practical value for the preparation of vesicles and the assessment of the viability of germinal cells.
Key words: Echinococcus multilocularis; vesicle; germinal cell; Percol; MTT.