Adult cestodes tegument

Fig. 2.1. Diagrammatic representation of the tegument of a typical adult cestode, based on several species. (After Threadgold, 1984.)...

The surface of adult cestodes forms a coherent boundary between the fluid compartment of the fibrous interstitium and the environment. The tegument contains several structurally distinct components (Fig. 12.1). 

The cestodes are a large and diverse group of platyhelminths that share two common features as adults, they have an elongate body and they lack an alimentary canal. Consequently, they must reside in an elongate, nutrient-rich environment. Thus, adult tapeworms are almost invariably found in the definitive hosts intestine where they absorb nutrients directly across their tegument. The cestode life cycle, with the notable exception of Hymenolepis nana (Fig. 9.1), is indirect and involves at least one intermediate host. Unlike adult tapeworms, the juvenile forms are morphologically quite diverse and can be found in almost... 

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