ABSTRACT
The presence and distribution of surface carbohydrates in the tissues of Galba truncatula snails uninfected or after infection with Fasciola hepatica as well as on the surface of the snail-pathogenic larval stages of the parasite were studied by lectin labelling assay. This is an attempt to find similarities that indicate possible mimicry, utilised by the parasite as an evasion strategy in this snail-trematode system. Different binding patterns were identified on head-foot-mantle, hepatopancreas, genital glands, renopericardial complex of the host as well as of the snail-pathogenic larval stages of F. hepatica. The infection with F. hepatica leads to changes of labelling with Glycine max in the head-mantle cells and Arachis hypogaea in the tubular epithelium of the hepatopancreas. The lectin binding on the other snail tissues is not changed by the development of the larvae. Our data clearly demonstrated the similarity in labelling of G. truncatula tissues and the surface of the snail-pathogenic larval stages of F. hepatica. The role of glycosylation of the contact surfaces of both organisms in relation to the host-parasite interactions is also discussed.
Subject(s)
Animals , Carbohydrates/physiology , Fasciola hepatica/metabolism , Fascioliasis/metabolism , Lectins/metabolism , Lymnaea/metabolism , Arachis , Fasciola hepatica/parasitology , Fascioliasis/parasitology , Glycosylation , Larva/metabolism , Larva/parasitology , Lymnaea/parasitology , Microscopy, Fluorescence , Oocysts/parasitology , Reference Values , Staining and Labeling , Triticum/parasitologyABSTRACT
The cidal effect of copper sulphate on pulmonate snail host Lymnaea luteola was studied in relation to lipid metabolism. Alterations in the levels of glycerol, phospholipids, glycerides, sterols, sterol esters and free fatty acids due to copper sulphate treatment are recorded in foot, mantle and digestive gland of this mollusc. These results have been interpreted as part of a mechanism of detoxification, prevalent in this fresh water mollusc.
Subject(s)
Animals , Copper/metabolism , Copper Sulfate , Lipid Metabolism , Lymnaea/metabolism , Inactivation, MetabolicABSTRACT
A comparison of tissue carbohydrate levels is made between larval trematode infected and uninfected snails under three physiological conditions, i.e., unstarved, starved and ré-fed. Under all these conditions, infected snails were found to be hyperglycaemic compared to uninfected snails. Contrasting behaviour of the digestive gland and the foot under these conditions, suggests that some inherent mechanism in the foot is activated which enables it to take up an additional role of seplenishing carbohydrate lost to the pararites.