Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 September 2010
The present study records the occurrence of major lipid fractions and their fatty acids in a digenetic trematode parasite Paramphistomum cervi, and the rumen fluid and liver of the goat (Capra hircus). The amount of neutral lipids (NL), glycolipids (GL) and phospholipids (PL) of goat liver, rumen fluid and of the parasite shows that the rumen fluid is rich in NL, which is also in maximum quantity in the parasite, while the liver is rich in PL followed by NL. The number of fatty acids of total lipids (TL), NL and PL is greater in the parasite than those of the liver and rumen fluid. The number of fatty acids of GL is higher in the liver than in the parasite and the rumen fluid. Comparison of unsaturated fatty acid (UFA), C18 total and C18 UFA of TL, NL, GL and PL of the liver, rumen fluid and the parasite shows that the amount of C18 UFA is higher in P. cervi in all the lipid fractions, except for GL, than in the rumen fluid and the liver. The results reveal that P. cervi absorbs a greater number of fatty acids than its host.