A comparison of morphology, acid phosphatase and ATPase activity in Ganeo tigrinum from hibernating and non-hibernating Rana cyanophlyctis and R. tigrina

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study compares the morphology, anatomy, physiology and histochemical distribution of two key enzymes (AcPase and ATPase) in the intestinal trematode Ganeo tigrinum recovered from hibernating and non-hibernating Rana cyanophlyctis and R. tigrina. It has been shown that the torpid state of the host influences its worm so severely that it produces untanned and low quality eggs, the sperm population falls, the rate of worm infection is decreased and the worms do not grow.AcPase has been shown to undergo significant changes during hibernation, especially in the gut, where extraordinarily high activity seems to be responsible for the autophagy of certain gastrodermal cells. ATPase similarly reveals a decrease in activity in most of the parasite tissues during hibernation. However, its high activity in the parenchyma has been related to the quick transportation of metabolites, representing the threshold concentration necessary for survival and egg production.