Snail Hosts ofFasciola hepaticain Britain

This paper presents experimental evidence to show thatLimnaea truncatulais not the only British snail susceptible to infection with Fasciolahepatica. 2. Of the six British species ofLimnaea, five may be infected under laboratory conditions, L.auriculariaproving resistant to infection. Full development of the parasite occurs inL. truncatula, L. slagnalis, L. palustris and L. glabra, while development as far as the production of rediae occurred on one occasion inL. pereger. Of the susceptible speciesL. truncatulamay be infected at any age or size, but the other species are susceptible only during the first few days after hatching. 3.F. hepaticaappeared to be relatively pathogenic to hosts other thanL. truncatulaeven though the level of infection (as evidenced by the number of rediae which developed) was considerably lower than in the more usual host.