Experimental infection of fresh water snail Lymnaea auricularia with Clinostomum complanatum (Trematoda: Clinostomidae)

Abstract

Abstract:The digenetic trematode Clinostomum complanatum is naturally parasitizes the throat andesophagus of piscivorous birds, used aquatic snail and fishes (rarely frogs and toads) as first and thesecond intermediate hosts respectively.The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of infection of fresh water snail Lymnaeaauricularia with miracidium of Clinostomum because lacking the study on the life cycle of thisparasite in Iraq.Snails were collected from vegetation and debris in shallow water of Euphrates river and identifiedas Lymnaea auricularia, their eggs were isolated for production of new generation which used forthe infection with Clinostomum miracidium.Eggs of mature trematodes Clinostomum complanatum were isolated from the buccal cavity andesophagus of Bubulicus ibis and hatched to miracidium after 21 days of incubation, The fresh watersnails Lymnaea auricularia were experimentally infected with miracidium of C. complanatum. Themiracidium were ciliated with eye spot in the anterior third of body, the infected snails with thesemiracidium released cercariae after 30 days post infection. The cercariae of C. complanatum werefork tailed with two eye spots in the anterior part of middle third of the body.