THE EFFECT OF PARASITISM BY FASCIOLA-HEPATICA AND MUELLERIUS-CAPILLARIS ON THE NERVE GANGLIA OF LYMNAEA-TRUNCATULA

Morphometric and histopathological studies were performed in Lymnaea t runcatula experimentally infected by Fasciola hepatica or Muellerius c apillaris between Days 30 and 60 postinfection. In the pedal ganglia, snail parasitism had a significant influence on the decrease in length and the increase in width in the M. capillaris group. In the dorsal l obes of cerebral ganglia, snail parasitism had a significant influence on the decrease in lobe width in the F. hepatica group and the increa se in width in the M. capillaris group. In the two groups of infected snails, snail parasitism had a significant influence on the decrease i n the number of neurons in the pedal ganglia and the dorsal lobes of t he cerebral ganglia. The other ganglia and lobes did not demonstrate a ny significant differences in the size or number of neurons. Infected snails of both groups had multifocal nerve lesions, i.e. (a) dyskarios is with occasionally eccentric nuclei and (b) cell lysis with only cel l remnants present. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.