Parasitological observations on prohemistomum SP, encysted matacercaria [trematoda] in nile fishes, II: experimental animals

ABSTRACT

Prohemistomum sp. encysted metacercariae were obtained from some Nile fishes. Rats infected with three different encysted metacercarial forms, differing only in the shape of cyst wall, showed that all the collected worms demonstrated the same morphological characteristics of Prohemistomum vivax. Experimental infection of rats, cats and dogs with prohemistomatid encysted metacercariae revealed that the per-patent period was 4-5 days in all experimental animals. Moreover, there was no differences in morphology of the obtained mature P. vivax due to changes of the host, except for slight variations in dimensions. Rats, cats and dogs have acted as definitive hosts for P. vivax