Some Morphometric Parameters of Musculature in Trematodes Fasciola Hepatica (Platyhelminthes)

Abstract

The distribution of muscle elements in adult Fasciola hepatica was studied on frozen sections using histochemical staining and fluorescent microscopy. Measurements were taken from the stained sections on photomicrograms. The histochemical staining detected actin in muscle filaments of the muscle system. The body wall consisted of circular, diagonal and longitudinal muscle fibers. The thickness of the dorsal muscle layer of the body was 25–50 µm, and the ventral muscle layer was 18– 25 µm. Numerous dorsal and ventral muscle bundles of 10–28 µm thick connected the dorsal and abdominal walls of the body. The musculature thickness of the oral sucker was 196 to 238 µm. The thickness of the pharyngeal wall was 64–98 µm; it was represented by circular, longitudinal and radial muscle fibers. The round and oval lumens of the branched blind intestine had a diameter of 63–119 µm. The intestine was surrounded by thin circular and diagonal muscle fibers of 2–3 µm thick, with a distance of 5-7 µm between them. The ventral sucker consisted of three types of muscle fibers, namely, circular, longitudinal and radial fibers. The maximum thickness of its musculature was about 340 µm.