Fasciola hepatica and Paramphistomum daubneyi: vertical distribution of metacercariae on plants under natural conditions

Four experiments on the metacercariae of Fasciola hepatica and Paramphistomum daubneyi were carried out under natural conditions in order to study their vertical location on submerged plants and to determine whether simultaneous cercarial shedding of both digenea causes changes in the distributions of the metacercariae. These experiments were performed in experimental boxes, each containing six tufts of rushes. Most metacercariae (73.0%) of F. hepatica were found along the walls of boxes, while 81.5% of P. daubneyi metacercariae were found on rush stems. In the case of snails infected by either of the two digenea, 80.1% of F. hepatica cercariae encysted on submerged parts of rushes and of the box walls near the water surface (to a depth of 1 cm), whereas 73.0% of P. daubneyi metacercariae were found in the lower sections (from −4 to −7 cm). If snails dually infected with P. daubneyi and F. hepatica were used, the vertical distributions of the metacercariae were significantly different from those found for snails infected by either of the two digenea. If snails having 42-day old infections with F. hepatica and other snails with 70-day old infections with P. daubneyi were simultaneously introduced into the boxes, the frequency of F. hepatica cysts was significantly lower in the section located under the water surface (29% only), while the frequencies of metacercariae in the lower sections (from −1 to −5 cm) were increased. Some significant changes were also observed for the metacercariae of P. daubneyi. The disturbance noted in the vertical distributions of F. hepatica and P. daubneyi metacercariae suggest that the encystment of F. hepatica cercariae can be disturbed by the simultaneous encystment of P. daubneyi cercariae, or conversely.