Penetration stimuli of fish skin forAcanthostomum braunicercariae

Abstract

SUMMARYThe cercaria ofAcanthostomum braunipenetrates the skin of its fish host in response to a combination of two chemical signals from the fish skin surface: free fatty acids and a macro-molecular mucus component. The latter seems to be a protein, as the penetration-stimulating activity of fish skin surface mucus is eliminated by digestion with proteinase, but not by digestion with glycosidases, nor by a removal of glycosaminoglycans. These penetration-stimulating host signals differ from the glycoproteins that stimulate the attachment ofA. braunicercariae to the host and also from the macro-molecular fish host signals which have been found to stimulate the attachment and penetration byOpisthorchis viverrinicercariae.