Alternative Names & Classifications:
Fascioliasis (CLINICAL), Liver Fluke Disease (CLINICAL)
Description
Humans contract Fascioliasis by inadvertently ingesting aquatic vegetation, such as watercress, carrying environmentally resilient, encysted parasite larvae. The excysted, immature flukes physically migrate through the intestinal wall, peritoneal cavity, and eventually bore into the liver parenchyma before maturing in the biliary ducts. This invasive process causes significant localized hemorrhage, inflammation, tissue destruction, and potential biliary obstruction.