Fasciola

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Fasciola
Fasciola hepatica.JPG
Fasciola hepatica
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Platyhelminthes
Class: Trematoda
Order: Plagiorchiida
Family: Fasciolidae
Genus: Fasciola
Linnaeus, 1758 [1]

Fasciola, commonly known as the liver fluke, is a genus of parasitic trematodes. There are three species within the genus Fasciola: Fasciola nyanzae, Fasciolahepatica and Fasciolagigantica. Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica are known to form hybrids. Both F. hepatica and F. gigantica and their hybrids infect the liver tissue of a wide variety of mammals, including humans, in a condition known as fascioliasis. F. hepatica measures up to 30 mm by 15 mm, while F. gigantica measures up to 75 mm by 15 mm. [2] Fasciola nyanzae is thought to exclusively infect the common hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius. [3]

Contents

Life Cycle of Fasciola Fasciola LifeCycle 2013.png
Life Cycle of Fasciola

Species

Life cycle

Fasciola pass through five phases in their life cycle: egg, miracidium, cercaria, metacercaria, and adult fluke. [2] The eggs are passed in the feces of mammalian hosts and, if they enter freshwater, the eggs hatch into miracidia. Miracidia are free-swimming. The miracidia then infect gastropod intermediate hosts and develop into cercariae, which erupt from the body of the snail host and find and attach to aquatic plants. [7] The cercariae then develop into metacercarial cysts. When these cysts are ingested along with the aquatic plants by a mammalian host, they mature into adult flukes and migrate to the bile ducts. [7] The adults can live for 5–10 years in a mammalian host. [8]

Animal hosts

The intermediate hosts, where Fasciola reproduce asexually, are gastropods from the family Lymnaeidae, also known as pond snails. [9]

A wide variety of mammals can be definitive hosts, where Fasciola reach adulthood and reproduce, including pigs, rodents, ruminants, and humans. [10] The most important animal reservoir hosts for human infections are sheep and cattle. [11]

Geographic distribution

Range of F. hepatica Fasciola hepatica prevalence.jpg
Range of F. hepatica

Fasciola are widespread and inhabit 70 countries and parts of all continents except for Antarctica. It is most common in areas with sheep and cattle are raised. [2] The regions most impacted by Fasciola are the northern Andes and the Mediterranean region. [12] [13]

History and discovery

Evidence of fascioliasis in humans exists dating back to Egyptian mummies that have been found with Fasciola eggs. [14] Cercariae of F. hepatica in a snail and flukes infecting sheep were first observed in 1379 by Jehan De Brie. [13] [15] The life cycle and hatching of an egg were first described in 1803 by Zeder. [16]

Prevention and treatment

Fascioliasis is treated with triclabendazole. There is no vaccine for Fasciola currently available. [2] In severe cases of biliary tract obstruction, surgery is an option to remove adult flukes. [8]

The most common way that humans are infected is through the consumption of undercooked vegetables, often watercress, that are contaminated with metacercariae. [17] This is of particular concern in areas where animal waste is used as fertilizer for the cultivation of watercress, as the full life cycle of Fasciola can sustained while contaminating crops intended for human consumption. [13] Additionally, in rare cases, ingestion of the raw liver of an infected animal can lead to infection. This is primarily in the Middle East and is known as halzoun. [15]

One prevention method is to kill off the snail hosts in a water body using molluscicides. [18] Another method is treating entire communities that are at risk for contracting fascioliasis with triclabendazole. [12] This is a time efficient method in impoverished rural communities, as it does not require testing the entire community for fascioliasis. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trematoda</span> Class of parasitic flatworms

Trematoda is a class of flatworms known as flukes or trematodes. They are obligate internal parasites with a complex life cycle requiring at least two hosts. The intermediate host, in which asexual reproduction occurs, is usually a snail. The definitive host, where the flukes sexually reproduce, is a vertebrate. Infection by trematodes can cause disease in all five traditional vertebrate classes: mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clonorchiasis</span> Infectious disease caused by fish parasites

Clonorchiasis is an infectious disease caused by the Chinese liver fluke and two related species. Clonorchiasis is a known risk factor for the development of cholangiocarcinoma, a neoplasm of the biliary system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fasciolosis</span> Parasitic worm infection

Fasciolosis is a parasitic worm infection caused by the common liver fluke Fasciola hepatica as well as by Fasciola gigantica. The disease is a plant-borne trematode zoonosis, and is classified as a neglected tropical disease (NTD). It affects humans, but its main host is ruminants such as cattle and sheep. The disease progresses through four distinct phases; an initial incubation phase of between a few days up to three months with little or no symptoms; an invasive or acute phase which may manifest with: fever, malaise, abdominal pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, urticaria, anemia, jaundice, and respiratory symptoms. The disease later progresses to a latent phase with less symptoms and ultimately into a chronic or obstructive phase months to years later. In the chronic state the disease causes inflammation of the bile ducts, gall bladder and may cause gall stones as well as fibrosis. While chronic inflammation is connected to increased cancer rates, it is unclear whether fasciolosis is associated with increased cancer risk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fasciolopsiasis</span> Medical condition

Fasciolopsiasis results from an infection by the trematode Fasciolopsis buski, the largest intestinal fluke of humans, growing up to 7.5 cm (3.0 in) long.

<i>Fasciola hepatica</i> Species of fluke

Fasciola hepatica, also known as the common liver fluke or sheep liver fluke, is a parasitic trematode of the class Trematoda, phylum Platyhelminthes. It infects the livers of various mammals, including humans, and is transmitted by sheep and cattle to humans the world over. The disease caused by the fluke is called fasciolosis or fascioliasis, which is a type of helminthiasis and has been classified as a neglected tropical disease. Fasciolosis is currently classified as a plant/food-borne trematode infection, often acquired through eating the parasite's metacercariae encysted on plants. F. hepatica, which is distributed worldwide, has been known as an important parasite of sheep and cattle for decades and causes significant economic losses in these livestock species, up to £23 million in the UK alone. Because of its relatively large size and economic importance, it has been the subject of many scientific investigations and may be the best-known of any trematode species. F. hepatica's closest relative is Fasciola gigantica. These two flukes are sister species; they share many morphological features and can mate with each other.

<i>Fasciola gigantica</i> Species of fluke

Fasciola gigantica is a parasitic flatworm of the class Trematoda, which causes tropical fascioliasis. It is regarded as one of the most important single platyhelminth infections of ruminants in Asia and Africa. Estimates of infection rates are as high as 80–100% in some countries. The infection is commonly called fasciolosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trematode life cycle stages</span>

Trematodes are parasitic flatworms of the class Trematoda, specifically parasitic flukes with two suckers: one ventral and the other oral. Trematodes are covered by a tegument, that protects the organism from the environment by providing secretory and absorptive functions.

<i>Fascioloides magna</i> Species of fluke

Fascioloides magna, also known as giant liver fluke, large American liver fluke or deer fluke, is trematode parasite that occurs in wild and domestic ruminants in North America and Europe. Adult flukes occur in the liver of the definitive host and feed on blood. Mature flukes measure 4 to 10 centimetres in length × 2 to 3.5 centimetres in width, and have an oval dorso-ventrally flattened body with oral and ventral sucker. The flukes are reddish-brown in colour and are covered by tegument. As with other digenean trematodes, the life cycle includes intramolluscan phase in snails. The parasite is currently distributed in wild ruminants in North America and Europe, including Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, and the United States.

<i>Echinostoma</i> Genus of flukes

Echinostoma is a genus of trematodes (flukes), which can infect both humans and other animals. These intestinal flukes have a three-host life cycle with snails or other aquatic organisms as intermediate hosts, and a variety of animals, including humans, as their definitive hosts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paragonimiasis</span> Medical condition

Paragonimiasis is a food-borne parasitic disease caused by several species of lung flukes belonging to genus Paragonimus. Infection is acquired by eating crustaceans such as crabs and crayfishes which host the infective forms called metacercariae, or by eating raw or undercooked meat of mammals harboring the metacercariae from crustaceans.

<i>Galba truncatula</i> Species of gastropod

Galba truncatula is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Lymnaeidae, the pond snails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liver fluke</span> Group of liver parasites

Liver fluke is a collective name of a polyphyletic group of parasitic trematodes under the phylum Platyhelminthes. They are principally parasites of the liver of various mammals, including humans. Capable of moving along the blood circulation, they can occur also in bile ducts, gallbladder, and liver parenchyma. In these organs, they produce pathological lesions leading to parasitic diseases. They have complex life cycles requiring two or three different hosts, with free-living larval stages in water.

<i>Lymnaea tomentosa</i> Species of gastropod

Lymnaea tomentosa is a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Lymnaeidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fasciolidae</span> Family of flukes

Fasciolidae is a family of trematodes and includes several parasites involved in the veterinary and medical sciences, which cause the disease Fasciolosis. Fasciolidae is divided into five genera by Olson et al. 2003. The family's various species are localised in liver, gall bladder, and intestine. Their life-cycle includes an intermediate host, freshwater snails from the family Lymnaeidae.

<i>Fasciolopsis</i> Genus of flukes

Fasciolopsis is a genus of trematodes. They are also known as giant intestinal flukes.

<i>Nanophyetus</i> Genus of flukes

Nanophyetus salmincola is a food-borne intestinal trematode parasite prevalent on the Pacific Northwest coast. The species may be the most common trematode endemic to the United States.

<i>Radix natalensis</i> Species of gastropod

Radix natalensis is a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Lymnaeidae.

<i>Gastrodiscoides</i> Genus of flukes

Gastrodiscoides is genus of zoonotic trematode under the class Trematoda. It has only one species, Gastrodiscoides hominis. It is a parasite of a variety of vertebrates, including humans. The first definitive specimen was described from a human subject in 1876. It is prevalent in Bangladesh, India, Burma, China, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Volga Delta of Russia, with isolated cases from Africa, such as Nigeria. It is especially notable in the Assam, Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh regions of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trematodiasis</span> Medical condition

Trematodiasis is a group of parasitic infections due different species of flukes, the trematodes. Symptoms can range from mild to severe depending on the species, number and location of trematodes in the infected organism. Symptoms depend on type of trematode present, and include chest and abdominal pain, high temperature, digestion issues, cough and shortness of breath, diarrhoea and change in appetite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gastropod-borne parasitic disease</span> Medical condition

Gastropod-borne parasitic diseases (GPDs) are a group of infectious diseases that require a gastropod species to serve as an intermediate host for a parasitic organism that can infect humans upon ingesting the parasite or coming into contact with contaminated water sources. These diseases can cause a range of symptoms, from mild discomfort to severe, life-threatening conditions, with them being prevalent in many parts of the world, particularly in developing regions. Preventive measures such as proper sanitation and hygiene practices, avoiding contact with infected gastropods and cooking or boiling food properly can help to reduce the risk of these diseases.

References

  1. 1 2 Linnæi, C. (1758–1759). Systema Naturæ per Regna Tria Naturæ, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Haracteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Holmiæ: Impensis Direct. Laurentii Salvii.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Prevention, CDC-Centers for Disease Control and (2019-04-16). "CDC - Fasciola - General Information - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  3. ↑ Dinnik, J. A.; Dinnik, N. N. (1961). "On the Morphology and Life History ofFasciola nyanzaeLeiper, 1910 from the Hippopotamus". Journal of Helminthology. 35 (S1): 53–62. doi:10.1017/s0022149x00017570. ISSN   0022-149X.
  4. ↑ Leiper, Robert T. (1910). "The Entozoa of the Hippopotamus". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 80 (1): 233–252. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1910.tb01894.x. ISSN   0370-2774.
  5. ↑ Cobbold, T. S. (1855). Description of a new trematode worm (Fasciola gigantica). The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, Exhibiting a View of the Progressive Discoveries and Improvements in the Sciences and the Arts. New Series, II, 262–267.
  6. ↑ Young N. D., Jex A. R., Cantacessi C., Hall R. S., Campbell B. E. et al. (2011). "A Portrait of the Transcriptome of the Neglected Trematode, Fasciola gigantica—Biological and Biotechnological Implications". PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 5(2): e1004. doi : 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001004.
  7. 1 2 Prevention, CDC-Centers for Disease Control and (2019-05-03). "CDC - Fasciola - Biology". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  8. 1 2 Prevention, CDC-Centers for Disease Control and (2019-05-24). "CDC - Fasciola - Resources for Health Professionals". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  9. ↑ Dalton, J. P. (John Pius), 1958- (1999). Fasciolosis. CABI Pub. ISBN   0851992609. OCLC   39728053.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Caron, Yannick; Celi-Erazo, Maritza; Hurtrez-Boussès, Sylvie; Lounnas, Mannon; Pointier, Jean-Pierre; Saegerman, Claude; Losson, Bertrand; Benítez-Ortíz, Washington (2017). "IsGalba schirazensis(Mollusca, Gastropoda) an intermediate host ofFasciola hepatica(Trematoda, Digenea) in Ecuador?". Parasite. 24: 24. doi:10.1051/parasite/2017026. ISSN   1776-1042. PMC   5492793 . PMID   28664841.
  11. ↑ Pottinger, Paul S.; Jong, Elaine C. (2017), "Trematodes", The Travel and Tropical Medicine Manual, Elsevier, pp. 588–597, doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-37506-1.00048-9, ISBN   9780323375061
  12. 1 2 3 "WHO | Fascioliasis diagnosis, treatment and control strategy". WHO. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  13. 1 2 3 "Medical Chemical Corporation: Para-site". www.med-chem.com. Retrieved 2019-11-14.[ permanent dead link ]
  14. ↑ Mòdol, Xavier (2018-10-26), "The challenge of providing primary health care services in crisis countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region", Family Practice in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, CRC Press, pp. 137–152, doi:10.1201/9781351016032-11, ISBN   9781351016032, S2CID   135109161
  15. 1 2 "Fasciola". web.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
  16. ↑ "History". web.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  17. ↑ "Watercress and Parasitic Infection". www.cfs.gov.hk. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  18. ↑ "Prevention". web.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
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