Lymnaea natalensis laboratory culture and production of Fasciola gigantica metacercariae

Abstract

A method of breeding and maintaining L. natalensis cultures in the laboratory is described.The infection of snails with F. gigantica miracidia and the collection of metacercariae is discussed. The mean number of metacercariae arising from cercariae produced by each snail was 652·6, over a period of 8·2 days.It is shown that after 3 months storage F. gigantica metacercariae are still viable when excysted in vitro by using artificial pepsin and trypsin enzymes.The author wishes to express his thanks to Dr G. M. Urquhart of the Wellcome Laboratories for Experimental Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Veterinary Hospital, Bearsden Road, Bearsden, Glasgow, who has read through this paper and made the necessary corrections.