The ultrastructure of helminth. VI. The body wall of Opisthorchis viverrini (Poirier, 1886).

Electron microscopy of the body wall of Opisthorchis viverrini shows the integument which is connected to the epidermal cell with fine protoplasmic tubules, to form a syncytium, as in Clonorchis sinensis and other trematodes. Vacuole-like secretory granules are distributed in the matrix of the integument, and mitochondria are arranged at the proximal outer surface of the integument. The crystalline inclusions are observed in the perinucleus of some epidermal cells. ∗PMID: 4333630 [PubMed indexed for MEDLINE] Copyright c ©OKAYAMA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL SCHOOL Acta Med. Okayama 25, 129-142 (1971) THE ULTRASTRUCTURE OF HELMINTH VI) THE BODY WALL OF OPISTHORCHIS VIVERRINI (POIRIER, 1886) Seiiti INATOMI, Yasumasa TONGU, Daigoro SAKUMOTO, Setsuo SUGURI and Kazuo ITANO Department of Parasitology, Okayama University Medical School Okayama, Japan (Director: Prof. S.Inatomi) Received for publication, March 1, 1971 Recently many workers have investigated the ultrastructure of trematode integument and have concluded that it consists of a large syncytium. The ultrastructure of the integument of Clonorchis sinensis, belonging to the same family of Opisthorchis viverrini, was reported by INATOMI et al. (1968). The integument, which is composed of anucleated integument layer and nucleated epidermal cells lying beneath the muscle layer under the anucleated integument layer, consists of a sponge-like syncytium. Both, the integument layer and nucleated epidermal cells contain numerous· vesicles, secretory granules and mitochondria. However, no spine has been distributed on the integument as in some other trematodes. The present paper deals with the ultrastructure of integument of Opisthorchis viverrini to compare with Clonorchis sinensis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The adult Opisthorchis viverrini was obtained from the liver of a cat purchased from a farmer at Udon in Thailand, March 7th, 1969. The cat was sacrificed, the liver was quickly removed in the 0.85% saline solution, and the worms were collected. Flukes were washed with 0.85% saline solution and immediately fixed with phosphate buffered cold 1% glutaraldehyde solution at pH 7.4 for 30 minutes and were cut into four pieces. These materials were washed well with phosphate buffer. Then they were postfixed for an hour in phosphate buffered cold 2% osmium tetroxide solution at pH 7.4 and embed. ded in Epon after dehydration with ethanol series. The sections were cut on a Porter.Blum microtome, stained with uranyl acetate and lead nitrate, and observed with a Hitachi HS.8 electron microscope.