Abstract
The uptake of nutrients is certainly one of the principal activities that occurs at the host-parasite interface. All of the parasite’s nutrients are taken from the host. The modes of uptake basically do not differ from those used by free-living organisms. Metazoan parasites with an alimentary canal ingest food into this with subsequent digestion and absorption by cells of the gut. Ectoparasites, such as the bloodsucking arthropods, are restricted to this type of food ingestion. Endoparasitic metazoa with a gut may in addition take up some nutrients through their external body surface. This is the sole means of uptake for parasites, like tapeworms, that lack an alimentary tract, and for all of the protozoa. Ingestion at the body surface may occur by transport of solutes across the membrane or by endocytosis, either of solid particles (phagocytosis) or of liquids (pinocytosis).
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© 1986 Plenum Press, New York
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Trager, W. (1986). The Uptake of Nutrients. Digestion. In: Living Together. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9465-9_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9465-9_6
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