User:Lynamai/Heterophyes heterophyes

Introduction

Heterophyes heterophyes was discovered by Theodor Maximaillian Bilharz in 1851. This parasite was found during an autopsy of a Egyptian mummy. H. heterophyes is found from the Middle East, West Europe and African. They use different species to complete their complex lifestyle. Humans and other mammals are the definitive host, first intermediate host are snails, and second intermediate are fish. Mammals that come in contact with the parasite are dogs, humans, cats, and birds. Snails that are affected by this parasite are the Cerithideopsilla conica. Fish that come in contact with this parasite are Mugil cephalus, Tilapia milotica, Aphanius fasciatus, and Acanthgobius sp. Humans and mammals will come in contact with this parasite by the consumption of contaminated or raw fish. This parasite is one of the smallest endoparasite to infect humans . It can cause intestinal infection called Heterophyiasis.

My Redo of Morphology:

An adult of Heterophyes heterophyes OS – oral sucker, PH – pharynx, IN – intestine, AC – ventral sucker or acetabulum, UT – uterus with eggs

H. heterophyes is a small trematode, ranging up to 1.4mm long and 0.5mm wide . It is covered with scale-like spikes and those spikes can range from 50-62. Their pharynx is completely develop and connected to the cecum of the small intestines. Their sucker(mouth) is covered with spikes and its covering the genital opening. This means, they share one hole for eating and reproduction. Their testes is located at the posterior of the parasite and the testes are side by side. The ovaries are located in the medial of the parasite, right above the testes. The ventral sucker also known as the acetabulum is located at the ventral of the parasite. The ventral sucker helps them attach to the host. Morphology can change depending on what fish it lives on.

Adding to Writer's Pathology

H. heterophyes can cause intestinal infection called heterophyiasis. The infection can be asymptomatic or intestinal discomfort and mucous diarrhea. This parasite can start cell apoptosis in the intestinal epithelial cell, at early infection. This infection can cause enlarged intestinal crypts, acute to chronic inflammation, atrophy, and fusion and shortening of the intestinal villi. After early infection this parasite will inhibit apoptosis which can cause the decrease in caspase-3 and NF-jB. Caspase-3 and NF-jB are protein that are essential to induce programmed cell death, apoptosis.

Writer's Morphology

Minute teardrop-shaped flukes found in the small intestines of fish-eating birds and mammals. The eggs are hard to tell apart from other related species so there is no accurate estimate of human infection. The adult flukes range from 1.1 mm to 1.7 mm long and about 0.35 mm at their greatest width. The body of the fluke is covered in scales mostly concentrated at the anterior end. Also at the anterior end is an oral sucker. Located in the medioanterior of the body is the acetabulum. At the posterior end of the fluke are two oval testes. The vas deferens leading from the testes expands to form a seminal vesicle and then narrows again to form an ejaculatory duct. The fluke also has female reproductive organs. Located medioposterior is the fluke's one ovary and leading away from the ovary is the vitellaria. The uterus is a long tube like structure that also leads away from the ovary and joins up with the ejaculatory duct to form the genital duct which leads to a genital sinus. The sinus leads to the genital pore which is lined with 60-90 toothed spines. When a H. heterophyes was taken out of a man and then looked at the ultrastructures on the tegument it was described to have spines that looked like a round comb. The genital pore is where the fluke releases its eggs. H. heterophyes will also have morphological differences based on the different fishes that it inhabited.WRITER HAD NO SOURCES