The life cycle of Paramphistomum microbothrium Fischoeder, 1901 (Trematoda, Paramphistomidae)

Abstract

The whole life cycle of Paramphistomum microbothrium Fischoeder, 1901, found in cattle of Kenya, East Africa, has been established experimentally.In laboratory conditions, the eggs hatched miracidia on the 14th to 16th day, if they were kept in water at a temperature of 26–28° C.In a snail, Bulinus alluaudi (Dautzenberg), kept at the temperature of 18–20° C., the miracidium developed into a sporocyst, the elongated body of which, containing young rediae, reached a length of 3·6 mm. in about 2 weeks.The first rediae which emerged from a sporocyst were observed on the 14th day, and on the 20th day the first generation rediae began to produce second-generation rediae. From the 28th day onward the first-generation parent rediae ceased to produce daughter rediae and began to develop cercariae only. This period of production of cercariae by the redia lasted about 30 days, and when the life of the first-generation rediae drew to its close, the old rediae developed a few daughter rediae again.Cercariae began to emerge from the first-generation rediae 30 days after exposure of the snail to miracidia. The cercariae left the parent redia in a very immature state and further development occurred in the liver of the snail. The emergence of cercariae from the infected snail began on the 43rd day after exposure to miracidia. Shortly after emerging from the snail, the cercariae attached themselves to vegetation and encysted.Development of rediae of the second, third, fourth and apparently more successive generations followed an identical course to that outlined for the rediae of the first generation. As a result the successive generations of rediae maintain the infection going in an intermediate host and the infected snails were continually shedding cercariae as long as they lived. In the laboratory experiments the life span of some of the infected snails exceeded a year.In cattle infected experimentally P. microbothrium reached maturity and began passing out the eggs about a 100 days after the encysted cercariae were fed to the animals.