Effect of Paecilomyces lilacinus on the viability of oncospheres of Taenia hydatigena

Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom) Samson is a saprophytic hyphomycete from the soil with biological activity on helminth eggs. We evaluated the influence in vitro of P. lilacinus on the viability of the oncospheres from Taenia hydatigena, a parasite cestode of dogs and sheep. The eggs were exposed to the fungus strain in sterile distilled water and observed by light microscopy at days 4, 7 and 14 post-inoculation, and the viability was evaluated. The viability found in the exposed P. lilacinus oncospheres was significantly different in all observations. P. lilacinus exercised a negative biological activity on T. hydatigena eggs in vitro.