DICROCOELIUM DENDRITICUM

Austin Keys

A LOOK AT D. DENDRITICUM

Phylum: Platyhelminthes Class: Trematoda Order: Plagiorchiida Family: Dicrocoeliidae Genus: Dicrocoelium Species: Dicrocoelium dendriticum

Common Name: Lancet Liver Fluke or just Lancet Fluke

MORPHOLOGY 6-10mm long 1.5-2.5mm wide Adults are

Hermaphroditic

D. dendriticum egg

GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS Europe Asia Africa Middle East North America South America Northern Africa Australia

-Like fields with dry, chalky and alkaline soils

DEFINITIVE HOSTS & VECTOR

Mainly Cows, Sheep, Goats, Rabbits, and other grazing mammals

Rare in Humans and other mammals due to its life cycle

There are no known Vectors

INTERMEDIATE HOSTS1st:Land Snail

2nd:Ant

CAPTAIN HIGGINS AND ACTIVITY

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/captain_higgins

PATHOLOGY AND SYMPTOMS

Dicrocoeliasis - Infects the bile duct

Most infections are light and usually show no signs of the disease

In heavy infections Liver abscesses

Puss filled area in the liver General digestive disturbances

Bloating and diarrhea Upper abdominal pain

DIAGNOSIS Humans

Identify eggs in poop or duodenal fluid by using a microscope

AnimalsExamination of the poop Examination of the liver after death

TREATMENT Praziquantel

Triclabendazole

Mirazid

Niclosamide (not available in the US)

WORKS CITED http://www.damninteresting.com/a-fluke-of-nature/ http://

www2.biology.ualberta.ca/parasites/ParPub/text/index/plagi02i.htm

http://course1.winona.edu/kbates/digenean.htm http://

www.springerimages.com/Images/RSS/1-10.1007_978-3-540-48996-2_872-1

http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/Dicrocoeliasis.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3027985/

http://people.emich.edu/kselby/page%202.html http://theoatmeal.com/comics/captain_higgins http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21980771