In this article we will discuss about the structure of Liver Fluke (Fasciola Hepatica) with the help of a diagram.
1. It is commonly known as “Liver fluke” and is an endoparasite in the bile duct of sheep’s liver.
2. It is cosmopolitan and pathogenic and measures about 20 to 50 mm in length and 5 to 15 mm in width.
3. Body dorsoventrally flattened and leaf-like.
4. Anteriorly, the mouth and oral sucker are situated on a small protuberance-the “head”.
5. A little behind the oral sucker lies a ventral sucker or acetabulum in the median line on ventral side.
6. Among the digestive organs the most conspicuous is intestine, which is a highly branched and convoluted structure.
7. In between the oral and ventral suckers is present a small genital opening along the ventral surface.
8. In the posterior part lies a sub-terminal excretory pore or “anus”.
9. They are hermaphrodite and the reproductive organs occupy almost whole of the body space.
10. The life cycle includes an intermediate host in the form of snail Limnea (a mollusc).
11. It causes liver rot, liver cirrhosis, eosinophilia and anemia.