Pairs of adult Schistosoma mansoni were collected by perfusion of the mesenteric veins of experimentally infected hamsters which were anaesthetized with ether. The parasites were incubated in a simple salt medium with D-[6-14C]glucose for 3 h at 37 degrees C. Under aerobic conditions a considerable amount of labelled CO2 was formed, indicating that the Krebs cycle was operative. Under anaerobic conditions or in the presence of cyanide no 14CO2 production occurred. Evidence that the aerobic 14CO2 production is linked with oxidative phosphorylation was derived from the observation that it was for the larger part inhibited by oligomycin, an inhibition which was completely released by the uncoupling agent FCCP. It can be calculated that under aerobic conditions at least one third of the energy production of adult schistosomes occurs in aerobic processes.
Adenosine Triphosphate Aerobiosis