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liver fluke
Wednesday 28 June 2017
| WKP |
Definition: Liver fluke is a collective name of a polyphyletic group of parasitic flat worms under the phylum Platyhelminthes.
They are principally parasites of the liver of various mammals, including humans. Capable of moving along the blood circulation, they can occur also in bile ducts, gallbladder, and liver parenchyma. In these organs, they produce pathological lesions leading to parasitic diseases. They have complex life cycles requiring two or three different hosts, with free-living larval stages in water.
Examples
Clonorchis sinensis
Fasciola hepatica
Opisthorchis viverrini
