Summary
The dehydrogenase activity of mature daughter sporocysts of Microphallus pygmaeus containing fully formed metacercariae, was examined using the Thunberg technique, modified for use with small volumes of test solutions, at 21°C.
Whole sporocysts contained sufficient endogenous substrates and enzymes, even after six days starvation, to reduce methylene blue in the external medium.
The addition of exogenous substrates, to the medium of whole sporocysts and to the supernatant of disintegrated sporocysts, suggests that succinate dehydrogenase, fumarase, glutamic dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase are present.
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I am very grateful to the S.R.C. for financial assistance and to Dr. B. L. James for advice.
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Pascoe, D. Dehydrogenases in the daughter sporocysts of Microphallus pygmaeus (levinsen, 1881) (trematoda: Microphallidae). Z. F. Parasitenkunde 35, 7–15 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00259526
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00259526