A total of 113 adult Fasciola hepatica and 960 eggs collected from 32 cows were compared with 40 flukes and 240 eggs gathered from 8 sheep from Department of Haute-Vienne, central France, to determine whether there are morphometric variations between worms collected from different final host species, as well as between individuals recovered from the same host species (cattle). Flukes of sheep origin have significant higher values in the body length, area, perimeter, and shoulders width than those of cattle origin. Conversely, the measurements of the perimeter and area of ventral sucker of adult worms and the length and perimeter of egg recovered from sheep were significantly lower than those from cattle. No significant differences were noted between the flukes of both hosts in the width, perimeter and area of oral sucker, the distance between the anterior end and the ventral sucker, cone length and egg width. Between adults collected from cattle, significant interindividual differences were noted in all above parameters. The morphometric variations in F. hepatica recovered from different hosts could be attributed to variation in immune responses against liver flukes among the definitive host species. The variance within a host species might be related to the flukes age and/or to the different localities from which the cattle were originated.
Key words: Fasciola hepatica, France, Cattle, Sheep, Morphometric Variations
|