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Fasciola, commonly known as the liver fluke, is a genus of parasitic trematodes. There are three species within the genus Fasciola: Fasciola nyanzae, Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica. Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica are known to form hybrids.
Fasciola gigantica causes outbreaks in tropical areas of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa.The geographical distribution of F. gigantica overlaps with F. hepatica in many African and Asian countries and sometimes in the same country, although in such cases, the ecological requirement of the flukes and their snail hosts are distinct.
Fasciola hepatica infects various animal species, mostly herbivores. [27] Fasciolosis is caused by two digenetic trematodes F. hepatica and F. gigantica. Adult flukes of both species are localized in the bile ducts of the liver or gallbladder. F. hepatica measures 2 to 3 cm and has a cosmopolitan distribution.
Adult flukes reside in the small intestine, where they mature and produce eggs. These eggs are then passed into the host's feces where they will continue the life cycle of the parasite. Treatment involves anthelmintic medications to rid the flukes from the intestines. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential in preventing further ...
A detailed account of the F. magna life cycle was given by Swales (1935), Erhardová-Kotrlá (1971), and reviewed by Pybus (2001). [1] [2] [4] The cercariae of F. magna shed from the snail. Adult flukes occur in pairs or groups within a fibrous capsule in the liver parenchyma of the definitive host. Mature flukes release eggs which are ...
Fasciola hepatica is one of the largest flukes of the world, reaching a length of 30 mm and a width of 13 mm (Fasciola gigantica, though, is even bigger and can reach up to 75 mm). [16] It is leaf-shaped, pointed at the back (posteriorly), and wide in the front (anteriorly).
Microscopic identification of eggs, or more rarely of the adult flukes, in the stool or vomitus is the basis of specific diagnosis. The eggs are indistinguishable from those of the very closely related Fasciola hepatica liver fluke, but that is largely inconsequential since treatment is essentially identical for both. [citation needed]
Adult trematodes of Fasciolidae range in length from 2 cm, for species of Parafasciolopsis, and 10 cm, for species such as Fasciola gigantica. The oral and ventral suckers are usually located. the cercariae are of a gymnocephalic shape.