Echinostoma
| Echinostoma | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Two specimens of Echinostoma revolutum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Class: | Trematoda |
| Order: | Echinostomida |
| Suborder: | Echinostomata |
| Family: | Echinostomatidae |
| Genus: |
Echinostoma Rudolphi, 1809 |
Echinostoma is a genus of trematode parasites, which can infect both humans and other animals. These intestinal flukes have a three-host life cycle with snails or aquatic organisms as intermediate hosts, and a variety of animals, including humans, as their definitive hosts.
Echinostoma infect the gastrointestinal tract of humans, and can cause a disease known as echinostomiasis. The parasites are spread when humans or animals eat infected raw or undercooked food, such as bivalve molluscs or fish
It has been estimated that there are between 61 and 114 species of Echinostoma.Echinostoma are difficult to classify and are known as a cryptic species (different lineages are considered to be the same species, due to high morphological similarity between them). Many species of Echinostoma have been re-classified several times. For example, the species now known as Echinostoma caproni, was previously known by a variety of names including E. liei, E. parasensei and E. togoensis.
Methods for classifying Echinostoma species, such as the Echinostoma revolutum group, were devised by Kanev. The Echinostoma species in this group are now classified according to their shared morphological and biological characteristics, such as the presence of 37 collar spines.
Molecular methods, such as sequencing and ribosomal DNA, are also used to distinguish between species of Echinostoma as an alternative to morphological classification methods.
Echinostoma are internal digenean trematode parasites which infect the intestines and bile duct of their hosts.
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Wikipedia