Studies on the nature and properties of the perienteric fluid ofAscaris lumbricoides

Abstract

1. The composition of the perienteric fluid ofAscaris lumbricoidesof the pig, immediately after removal from the host and after varying periods ofin vitrostarvation, is recorded.2. Apart from the more frequently observed constituents of invertebrate tissue fluids, the body fluid ofAscariswas found to contain ascorbic acid, amino sugar and small amounts of uronic acid.3. Large amounts of anion other than chloride, probably fatty acid, must have been present in the body fluid, though chloride was probably the predominant anion in fluids of parasites which had passed several days ofin vitrolife.4. The chief factors (starvation, osmotic pressure and the nature of the medium, etc.) affecting the composition of the body fluid are briefly discussed.