Some Aspects of Carbohydrate Metabolism in the Cercariae of SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI Sambon, 1907
Cercariac of Schistosoma mansoni were studied for glycogen utilization, uptake of glucose from solution, lactic acid production, and respiration. Using the anthrone method of determination of carbohydrate, the amount of glycogen used by a single cercaria in 4 hours is determined as 43.2 x 10-4 μg ± 6.6 x 10-4 μg. Glucose was not observed to have been used from solution under the conditions of the experiment, even in the presence of trehalose. The determinations were made by the Glucostat method. After deproteinization and desugarization, aliquots of supernatant from cercarial suspensions were analyzed for lactic acid using p-phenylphenol and sulfuric acid. The production of significant amounts of lactic acid by the cercariae was not observed. Respiration was measured on a Warburg constant volume respirometer. The amount of oxygen used by a single cercaria in 4 hours is determined as 29.0 x 10 -4 μl ± 3.4 x 10-4 μl. The amount of carbon dioxide produced by a single cercaria in 4 hours is determined as 34.6 x 10 -4 μl ± 4.6 x 10 -4 μl. A respiratory quotient of 1.9 ± 0.08 was obtained.
Animal Sciences, Biochemical Phenomena, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Biology, Carbohydrates, Microbiology, Parasitology, Carbohydrates -- metabolism Schistosoma mansoni.
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