Destruction of Ascaris suum eggs during their feeding to various species of beetles
Bílý, S.; Prokopic, J.
Folia Parasitologica 24(4): 343-345
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0015-5683 PMID: 564316 Document Number: 119961
Eggs of A. suum (Linne, 1758) were fed to 9 spp. of beetles [Geotrupes stercorosus, Aphodius fimetarius, A. fossor, Onthophagus ovatus, O. fracticornis, O. verticicornis, Agonum assimile, Abax parallelus, Saprinus semistriatus] of the families Scarabaeidae, Carabidae and Histeridae to ascertain the dependence of egg penetration on the structure of mouth parts of the beetle. The mouth parts of some beetle species have various filtration apparatuses preventing the helminth eggs from penetrating into the digestive tract. G. stercorosus (Scriba) possesses a crushing apparatus which destroys a great number of helminth eggs penetrating into the digestive tract.