Fasciola hepatica, a leaf-shaped liver fluke (3cm x 1cm, grayish), possesses an oral and ventral sucker.  Its branched intestine and coiled uterus contain grayish eggs.  The life cycle begins with eggs excreted in feces, hatching in freshwater as miracidia that infect snails.  These develop into cercariae, encysting on aquatic vegetation.  Humans contract fascioliasis by ingesting metacercariae on plants like watercress, leading to adult flukes in the bile ducts.  Symptoms include abdominal pain, fever, jaundice, and diarrhea; severe cases may involve hepatitis or peritonitis.  Chronic fascioliasis can cause obstructive jaundice and ectopic infections.  Diagnosis involves fecal egg identification.  Treatment includes Albendazole, sulfoxide, Praziquantel, and bithionol.  Prevention focuses on avoiding contaminated water plants and raw sheep liver.  The acute form, rarely seen in humans, involves large numbers of migrating larvae causing severe liver damage.