Fasciolopsis buski

Fasciolopsis buski is an intestinal fluke and the largest trematode that parasitizes humans, reaching up to 75 mm in length. The genus Fasciolopsis was established by Arthur Looss in 1899, and its name refers to its resemblance to the genus Fasciola. The species is named after the English surgeon George Busk, who identified the adult worm in 1852 in a sailor from India. Fasciolopsiasis is a foodborne trematodiasis that is endemic in rural areas of South and Southeast Asia. This parasite affects both humans and pigs, with pigs serving as the main zoonotic reservoir. Infection occurs through the ingestion of metacercariae found on the water surface or encysted on freshwater edible plants. Cercariae, released into the water by various species of planorbid snails, encyst on underwater vegetation.