Morphology and viability of adult Fasciola gigantica (giant liver flukes) from Philippine carabaos (Bubalus bubalis) upon in vitro exposure to lead

Objective: To evaluate the effects of lead in the morphology and viability of Fasciola gigantica (F. gigantica) (giant liver fluke) isolated from infected livers of carabaos in vitro using the following concentrations of lead: 0, 100, 150 and 200 mg/L. Methods: In vitro viability and motility assay...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine
Main Authors: Aimee Caye G. Chang, Mary Jane C. Flores
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2015
Subjects:
Fasciola gigantica
Giant liver fluke
Carabaos
Heavy metal
Lead
LC50
Philippines
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
RC955-962
Biology (General)
QH301-705.5
Arctic
Curl
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apjtb.2015.03.008
https://doaj.org/article/09d1cd12c6d646119abbfb653d6f871d
Description
Summary:Objective: To evaluate the effects of lead in the morphology and viability of Fasciola gigantica (F. gigantica) (giant liver fluke) isolated from infected livers of carabaos in vitro using the following concentrations of lead: 0, 100, 150 and 200 mg/L. Methods: In vitro viability and motility assay was conducted to evaluate the effects of lead using 1% methylene blue as the vital dye for assessment of the flukes' viability. Results: Results indicate that F. gigantica can tolerate lead exposure as high as 200 mg/L with visible morphological variations. Upon exposure to lead, liver flukes tend to curl and excrete black precipitates as a sign of physiological stress response. Furthermore, the lethal concentration (LC50) of lead against F. gigantica in vitro was 160 mg/L. Conclusions: In conclusion, tolerance of liver flukes to high levels of lead suggests its potential as a possible biomarker of environmental pollution.

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