Rapid growth of Lymnaea viridis, the intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica, under laboratory conditions

Abstract

Reported in this communication is a unusually rapid growth of Lymnaea viridis, the intermediate host of Faciola hepatica, maintained in the laboratory for experimental purposes. When the snails were fed on blue-green algae at about 20°C, they attained a shell length of 12 mm in 37 days from the date of hatching. The snails began laying eggs from 18 to 24 days following hatching.