In vitro excystment of Fasciola gigantica metacercariae

An in vitro excystment protocol for Fasciola gigantica metacercariae is described in this communication. A hatching percentage of ~90% of the freshly harvested F. gigantica metacercariae was observed following this excystment protocol, which was found inversely related to the age of the metacercariae. In vitro excystment of the metacercariae is essential for determining their viability prior to their use in vaccination or primary infection studies in animals and for studies on immunological, chemotherapeutic or gene expression aspects of the parasite.