Site selection, and the means to access specific sites, is a keystone of
parasitology. I evaluated migration and site selection behaviours of metacercariae of two
congeneric species of strigeoid trematode throughout growth and encystment phases in
the fathead minnow. Results showed that pre-encystment stages of Ornithodiplostomum
ptychocheilus migrate along specific neural tracts to access sites in the optic lobes of the
brain. Conversely, pre-encystment stages of Ornithodiplostomum sp. migrate via direct
penetration, or via the vascular system to access visceral organs, especially the liver.
Remarkably, both species have a bi-phasic pattern of development, with growth and
encystment occurring in unique sites. Finally, I examined patterns of rodlet cell
proliferation and maturation in response to growth and encystment phases of O.
ptychocheilus. Cell densities were low (<11/mm2) in brain tissue adjacent to 1 and 2
week old metacercaria, but peaked to approximately 210/mm2 at 6 weeks. These results
shed new light on the potential function of these enigmatic cells. / x, 125 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:ALU.w.uleth.ca/dspace#10133/779 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Matisz, Chelsea E, University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science |
| Contributors | Goater, Cameron |
| Publisher | Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Deptartment of Biological Sciences, 2009, Arts and Science, Biological Sciences |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Relation | Thesis (University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science) |
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