Acta Parasitologica, Vol. 51, No. 2, 2006, 87-90 Anna Faltynkova(1,2)*, Eva Horackova(1), Lenka Hirtova(3), Adam Novobilsky(4), David Modry(2,3) and Tomas Scholz(1,2) - Is Radix peregra a new intermediate host of Fascioloides magna (Trematoda) in Europe? Field and experimental evidence
(1)Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of South Bohemia, (2)Institute of Parasitology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, (3)Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, (4)Department of Veterinary
Ecology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Palackeho 1-3, 612 42 Brno; Czech Republic
*Corresponding author: faltyn@paru.cas.cz
ABSTRACT
Rediae and immature cercariae of the giant liver fluke, Fascioloides magna, a pathogenic and important parasite of game animals,
were found in 6 out of 7,277 Radix peregra (Gastropoda, Lymnaeidae) from two localities in Western and Central
Bohemia, Czech Republic. In one of these localities a relatively high infection of Galba truncatula (26 out of 76) with mature
cercariae of F. magna was detected. R. peregra, which is dominant over Galba truncatula, has never been reported as the natural
intermediate host of F. magna. Its potential susceptibility to F. magna infection was confirmed experimentally with 67
snails of R. peregra (out of 371) infected. The present data indicate the capability of F. magna to expand the spectrum of its
intermediate hosts and demonstrate the potential epizootiological importance of lymnaeid snails, other than G. truncatula, for
transmission of the parasite in Europe.
KEY WORDS: Fascioloides magna, Trematoda, Lymnaea (Galba) truncatula, Radix peregra, snails, life cycle, epizootiology