Rediae
Rediae (pronunciation: ree-dee-ay; etymology: named after Francesco Redi, an Italian physician who made significant contributions to the field of parasitology) are a larval stage in the life cycle of many trematodes, or flukes.
Definition
Rediae are a developmental stage in the life cycle of certain parasites, specifically those in the class Trematoda. They are produced by the asexual reproduction of another larval stage, the sporocyst, within the intermediate host, typically a snail.
Characteristics
Rediae are elongated and worm-like in shape, with a mouth and digestive tract. They are capable of movement within the host, unlike the sporocysts from which they develop. Rediae also have the ability to produce either more of their own kind or another type of larva known as cercariae through asexual reproduction.
Life Cycle
The life cycle of a trematode involves several stages. The adult fluke lays eggs which are passed out of the definitive host and into water. If these eggs are ingested by a suitable snail host, they hatch into larvae called miracidia. The miracidia penetrate the snail's tissues and transform into sporocysts. The sporocysts then produce rediae, which in turn produce cercariae. The cercariae leave the snail and encyst on vegetation or in water, waiting to be ingested by the definitive host, thus completing the life cycle.
Related Terms
- Trematoda: The class of flatworms to which flukes belong.
- Sporocyst: The larval stage that produces rediae.
- Cercariae: The larval stage produced by rediae.
- Miracidia: The first larval stage in the life cycle of many trematodes.
- Parasite: An organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host's expense.
See Also
This WikiMD.org article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.