Attraction of Echinostoma revolutum Cercariae to Biomphalaria glabrata Dialysate

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Abstract
A 6-cm petri dish half-filled with artificial spring water was used to study the attraction of Echinostoma revolutum cercariae to Biomphalaria glabrata snail dialysate. The dish was divided into 3 equal zones each about 9 cm. Zone A contained a single B. glabrata snail in a 2 .times. 1-cm dialysis sac about 5 cm from an empty dialysis sac in Zone C. The middle zone, B, received 5 cercariae by pipet. In each of 5 experiments, within 30 min of cercarial introduction, more than twice the cercariae were in Zone A than in either Zone B or C. In the absence of a snail in Zone A, cercariae were equally distributed in all 3 zones. Echinostoma revolutum ceracariae were attracted to B. glabrata dialysate in the absence of host penetration or encystment stimuli.