The procercoid is the second [1] larval stage of some tapeworms, which typically develops inside of copepods [2] following their ingestion of the coracidium parasite structure that contains the larval oncosphere. [1] The flatworm in this stage is not enclosed in a protective cyst, but is infectious to the next intermediate host. [3] Procercoids resemble their adult forms in pathways of energy metabolism. They are basically anaerobic, lacking a complete Krebs cycle, and rely on glycolysis. [3]
The procercoid is the second [1] larval stage of some tapeworms, which typically develops inside of copepods [2] following their ingestion of the coracidium parasite structure that contains the larval oncosphere. [1] The flatworm in this stage is not enclosed in a protective cyst, but is infectious to the next intermediate host. [3] Procercoids resemble their adult forms in pathways of energy metabolism. They are basically anaerobic, lacking a complete Krebs cycle, and rely on glycolysis. [3]