adaptations of fasciola hepatica to a parasitic lifestyle
Fasciola hepatica F. hepaticaâ€™s tegument protects it from the enzymes of the host's stomach, whilst still allowing water to pass through.[27] Free-swimming larvae have cilia and the cercariae have a flagellum-like tail to help them swim through the aquatic environment and also allow them to reach the plants on which they form a cyst.[25] To attach within the host, F. hepatica has oral suckers and body spines. Their pharynges also help them to suck onto the tissues within the body, particularly within the bile ducts.[28] The adult fluke's respiration is anaerobic; this is ideal, as no oxygen is available in the liver.[18] F. hepatica is adapted to produce a large number of eggs, which increases its chances of survival, as many eggs are destroyed on release into the environment. Also, F. hepatica is hermaphrodite, thus all flukes can produce eggs, increasing the number of offspring produced by the population.[20]