Click on the image below to enlarge.
The definitive host is sheep. Two intermediate hosts are required, a particular number of snail species and ants. The eggs hatch in the gut of the snail and metamorphose into sporocysts and cercariae. These cercariae group together as slime balls in the snail. They are shed by the snail during feeding. It is these slime balls that are ingested by ants. When the definitive host eats one of these ants the metacercariae penetrate the intestinal wall and reach the liver where they mature and complete their life cycle.
Return to Helminth Introduction
The material on this site is owned by Scientific Image and
Consulting
David M. Raymondo
MLT, CLS(m)
Professional Affiliation: Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Gamma-Dynacare is a Division of the Dynacare Health Group