MEASUREMENT OF METALLIC-IONS IN BIOMPHALARIA-GLABRATA (GASTROPODA) INFECTED WITH ECHINOSTOMA-CAPRONI (TREMATODA) AND IN UNINFECTED SNAILS

Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was used to study metallic ions in whole bodies of uninfected Biomphalaria glabrata snails and those experimentally infected with larval Echinos toma caproni trematodes. Infected snails were analyzed at 6 wk postinf ection when the digestive gland-gonad complex contained 100-200 daught er rediae per snail. Cohort snails that were left uninfected were anal yzed at the same time as controls. Nine metals were defected in B. gla brata by ICP analysis as follows: boron, copper, iron, manganese, zinc , calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. There were no significant differences (Student's t-test, P > 0.05) in the concentrations of the se metals in whole infected versus whole uninfected snails.