Ultrastructure of the ootype of the lung fluke Paragonimus ohirai (Digenea, Troglotrematidae) in mated and single-infection worms.

The ootype of Paragonimus ohirai was studied by both scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The ootype wall in 20-week-old worms from single infections was similar in its epithelial cell architecture and components to that of mated worms at 10 weeks postinfection. The lining epithelium consisted of a single layer of nucleated cells. The cytoplasm displayed a variety of organelles such as occasional Golgi complexes, well-developed annulate lamellae, frequent lysosomes, abundant mitochondria, and numerous ribosomes, suggesting high activities of intracellular synthesis and digestion. The former three organelles were generally located in the apical cytoplasm protruding into the lumen and may be significant in participating in regulation of egg formation. The present comparative studies suggest that the ootype epithelium can mature even by single infections and that the organized intracellular activities remain developed in single worms even after prolonged infection.