Effect of copper and zinc upon the survival and infectivity of Echinoparyphium recurvatum cercariae

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Abstract
At concentrations ranging from 00 mg/l, copper and zinc reduced both the longevity and infectivity of Echinoparyphium recurvatum cercariae. Concentrations of 105 h to 85 h respectively. Copper-induced effects upon cercarial infectivity were particularly severe and exposures of cercariae to 0·5 mg/l of this metal for as little as 15 min caused significant reductions in their ability to infect molluscan 2nd intermediate hosts. Water hardness had a marked influence on copper toxicity but had a much lower effect on the toxicity of zinc. Metal concentrations found to exert a profound influence on parasite transmission in the present laboratory-based study have been found to occur in natural, albeit polluted, freshwater habitats.