Echinostoma macrorchis: Life History, Population Dynamics of Intramolluscan Stages, and the First and Second Intermediate Hosts

Abstract

Eggs of Echinostoma macrorchis were laid at the 1-cell stage and took 9 days (26-27 C) or 6 days (30 C) to hatch. The following accounts are based on studies undertaken at 24-26 C. Maximum survival of miracidia was 7 hr. Miracidia reached the ventricle of Gyraulus chinensis 15-20 hr after penetration and transformed into sporocysts. The earliest degeneration of sporocysts occurred 20 days postinfection (DPI), but some survived for 120 days. Mature mother rediac were first seen inside the sporocyst at 7 DPI, then were released to the ventricular cavity and migrated to other anatomical locations of the host. Among the germ balls present in a sporocyst, 1-3 developed concurrently to the mother redia stage. Young daughter rediae first appeared at 15 DPI and mature ones at 19 DPI. Snails of larger size produced more daughter rediae and cercariae than smaller ones. Initial shedding of cercariae from infected snails occurred between 25 and 48 DPI, with a mean of 34 DPI. The cercariae were phototactic and each snail shed a daily average of 34 cercariae. Gyraulus chinensis was proven to be the only snail capable of serving as the first intermediate host. Tadpoles of Rana latouchi and Bufo bufo, 9 species of gastropods, the bivalve Corbicula fluminea, and 1 unidentified planarian species served as experimental second intermediate hosts.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)