OCCURRENCE OF LIVERFLUKE, FASCIOLA GIGANTICA,
                        IN THE LUNGS OF GOATS

                                             BY

                      HAR DAYAL SRIVASTAVA, D.Sc.

                         Helminthologist (On special duty)

    Imperial Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar-Kumaun

                  (Received for publication on 8th June 1938)

OF the numerous helminth parasites infesting ruminants, the liver-
flukes are by far the most important. There are two species of liverflukes
which commonly infest ruminants in this country— Fasciola hepatica and
F. gigantica. The adult parasite lives in the bile ducts of the host and is res-
ponsible for the well-known serious disease called " liver-rot". The eggs
pass with the bile into the intestine and are voided with the faeces. The life-
history of these parasites is well known. The eggs hatch in the open under
suitable conditions of moisture and temparature and the miracidia penetrate
the intermediate host, which is usually a member of the family Lymnáeidae, in
which by the usual process a brood of cercariae is ultimately produced. The
cercariae come out of the snail and after a brief active period they encyst
on the available vegetation in water or on the surface of water itself. The
final host acquires the infection by the ingestion of the cysts with vegetation
or water. Inside the host the cystwall is digested and the young fluke directly
bores through the wall of the bowel and reaches the abdominal cavity. After
wandering about for some days it penetrates the surface of the liver and finally
settles down in the bile duct as an adult parasite.

In certain cases, usually in unsuitable host, the young flukes penetrate
through the intestinal wall into the blood vessels or lymph passages and are
carried to distant foci as ' erratic' parasites. They have been recovered
from blood-vessels, lungs, subcutaneous abscesses, ventricles of the brain and
from foci in and around the eye. Braun believes that the worms enter the
portal system and from there they may gain access to the other organs of the
body.

During the course of an examination of materials from goats suffering
from pulmonary strongylosis, which were received at this Institute through

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