Everyone is familiar with harmless herbivorous molluscs with beautiful shells. But there are also dangerous species of these animals that lead a parasitic lifestyle in the human body. We have to find out who the mollusk parasites are, examples of which we will consider in this article.
What are soft-bodied animals?
Celomic type of animals, among which mollusks are also distinguished - these are soft-bodied protostomes of marine and freshwater fauna, of course, there are species that have taken root well on land. In addition to all these cute creatures, there are those who lead a parasitic lifestyle, but we will talk about them after we imagine the lifestyle of ordinary mollusks.
These animals are initially considered bilaterally symmetrical, but due to the uneven growth of individual organs, different parts are displaced, and the natural asymmetry of mollusks appears.
Their body consists of three sections - a torso, head and small legs. All the main organs of the mollusk are located in the body, because some of the species lose theirhead.
The nervous system of soft-bodied animals consists of four trunks - two pedal and two visceral.
That's enough to give you an idea of what shellfish are.
What are filter-feeding clams? Description
Bivalve mollusks are most often represented as filter feeders. The lifestyle of such animals, as a rule, is motionless, and they got their name because of the way they eat. While in the water, they pass liquid through their body and filter it, choosing everything they need for food and survival. Among the filter feeders there are also parasites - mollusks, examples of which are colorfully described in school biology textbooks. We will describe them in a separate chapter.
This species does not have legs, because they are replaced by soles, with the help of which animals make their movement on land, if necessary. There are mollusk parasites, examples of which also indicate the complete absence of any adaptations for movement. This is due to the fact that they prefer an immobile existence, being satisfied only by eating and reproducing.
The body of the bivalves is symmetrical and hidden behind a voluminous shell, which is attached on both sides.
Not only people can become victims of a parasitic existence, but there are also parasites inside mollusks, and their diagnosis is carried out in special veterinary centers. Quite often it happens that aquarium representatives of soft-bodied animals are somehow affected by parasites, which creates a lot of trouble.aquarium owner.
Parasite-clams. Examples and Description
Not all mollusks prefer to exist carelessly in the open spaces of water and crawl on land. There are those who are more comfortable in someone else's body. Parasitic shellfish examples:
- Toothless larvae are able to cling to fish and exist on them like parasites. Most often, they lie quietly at the bottom, waiting for some kind of prey, for example, carp. When the fish swims close enough, the parasitic mollusk clings to the gills, where they continue to exist. The place where the parasite has stuck begins to swell strongly and quickly, a kind of tubercle is formed due to the fact that epithelial cells multiply. It turns out that the mollusk is completely protected in the created growth.
- Mollusks Melanellidae, Stiliferidae, Entoconchidae prefer to settle on the body of echinoderms and breed on them. But some species simply take their food away and do no harm.
Diagnosis of parasites
At the present stage, biologists are actively engaged in the study of parasites that live in the body of mollusks. But not all examples of parasitic molluscs can be studied thoroughly. This is due to the fact that some representatives lead several lifestyles at once.
Experiments are carried out mainly on species such as M. galloprovincialis and C. gigas. To do this, these representatives are grown in artificial conditions and parasitic organisms are added to them.
Mollusk parasites, examples of which we have considered above,fundamentally different from species that themselves become victims of parasites.
In the body of a giant oyster it is possible to detect such parasites as the polychaete worm or polychaetes, the sponge Pione vastifica.
Observations show that parasitic oysters grow much more slowly than he althy oysters. Their shells become brittle and break with slight pressure.
Such shellfish are rejected and not used for sale and breeding.
Are parasites dangerous in the human body?
Examples of parasitic mollusks show that there is a good chance of falling prey to some of them. But it's not as scary as it might seem.
What to do if shellfish parasites are found in the body? Examples of some types of treatment show that this pathology is not terrible. With timely access to a specialist, you can easily get rid of them and continue life without maintaining someone's existence.
