An Overview of the Biology of Trematodes
Bernard Fried
Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the biology of the trematodes as a basis for the chapters that follow. This chapter examines briefly the history, literature, structure, and function of trematodes; and their availability for study It also provides a table of selected protocols for working with digeneans. Trematodes are parasitic flukes in the phylum Platyhelminthes, in contrast to the mainly free-living forms, the turbellarians (Turbellaria), and the predominately segmented forms that lack a digestive tract, the tapeworms or cestodes (Cestoda). Bilateral symmetry, with all the implications of that condition, is an important characteristic of flatworms. Thus, flatworms are early progenitors of a body plan similar to humans. Because flatworms have systems analogous to humans, these animals provide elegant models to examine relatively simple plans of organization for studies on functional morphology. Moreover, many trematodes cause serious diseases in man, animals, and wildlife, and are of importance to the biomedical community.