OBSERVATION OF TEGUMENT AND CAECUM OF ADULT SCHISTOSOMA JAPONICUM BY TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

ABSTRACT

The ultrastructrual features of tegument and caecum of Chinese mainland strain S. japonicum abult were studied by transmission electron microscopy.l.The tegumental surface folds and pits of male worms are more obvious than those of female worms, and ultrastructural difference was also detected in various regions of the tegumental surface.2.The gut of male and female worms consists of a single-layered columnar epithelial cell surrounded by a thin muscle layer, but the ultrastructural differences are found between different regions of the gut.3.The comparative study of the tegument and the caecal epithelium has shown that in function the caecal syncytium appears to be responsible for the digestion and absorption, while the tegument is responsible for both absorption and defence.