Volumen 46 (2009): Heft 4 (December 2009)

Lagochilascaris minor is the causative agent of lagochilascariosis, a disease that affects the neck region causing exudative abscesses with eggs, adult parasites and L3/L4 larvae within purulent exudates. Nowadays, mice are considered intermediate hosts for the parasite. To determine the pattern of infection in B1 cell-defective mice, experimental lagochilascariosis was studied in BALB/c and X-chromosome-linked immunodeficient (Xid) mice. BALB.xid infected mice showed higher survival ratios and less intense lung lesions than BALB/c mice. Serum levels of IL-10 was higher in BALB/c infected mice when compared to BALB.xid animals; however, serum levels of IFNγ, in control and infected BALB.xid mice, were statistically different from that seen in BALB/c mice. We discuss the participation of B1 cells and their cytokines in the resistance to infection.

Trichinellosis is a zoonosis caused by ingestion of undercooked raw meat from animals that harbour infectious larvae. In most of the Slovak regions there is ongoing life cycle of circulating trichinellosis in wild carnivores and wild boar population. The outbreak of trichinellosis occured in Rožňava district east Slovakia during spring in 2008. Ten members of farmer’s family and their relatives got ill while processing meat from home-made pig-slaughter for meals and meat products intended for wedding dinner. During the meat processing all of them tasted raw meat. Moreover, another 45 persons were exposed to this infection by eating heat-treated meat products. The most common predominant clinical signs were: myalgias, fever, fatigue, exanthema and periorbital oedema. On the 40th day after infection there were intermediate to high titres of trichinella IgG antibodies detected (10 patients), high levels of eosinophilia (10 patients) with maximum of 6.76 × 109/l (55 %) and profound changes in selected laboratory parameters: decreased levels of total proteins, increased levels of alpha 1-globulin and C reactive protein. Presence of IgG antibodies as well as aforementioned laboratory parameters was important markers of trichinellosis in our study, whereas other laboratory changes (leukocytosis, high levels of activity lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase) were detected only in few hospitalized patients.

We examined 44 specimens of Metynnis lippincottianus (Cope, 1870) (Characidae), collected in the Upper Paraná River floodplain, Brazil, from March 2006 to December 2007. Of the total number of fishes, 32 (72.7 %) were infected by at least one species of helminth (endoparasites). One digenean, Dadayus pacupeva, and four nematode species, Spinoxyuris oxydoras, Contracaecum sp. (larval stage), Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) inopinatus and Raphidascaris (Sprentascaris) mahnerti were identified. D. pacupeva and S. oxydoras showed the highest values of prevalence, mean intensity and abundance. The typical pattern of overdispersion or aggregation was observed for all endoparasites. Dominance by D. pacupeva and S. oxydoras was observed in the parasite community. Positive association between D. pacupeva and two nematode species (S. oxydoras and P.(S.) inopinatus) was observed, including positive and significant covariation between their abundances. These results suggest that species are coexisting without competition. There was no correlation between parasitism and sex for M. lippincottianus.

Echinostomatid trematode Echinoparyphium limosorum n. sp. from the charadriiform bird Limosa limosa is described on basis of morphometrical study of museum material. The new species is characterized by medium-sized body up to 4.9 mm long, reniform head collar up to 511 wide, armed with 48–51 collar spines up to 91 µm, arranged in double row. The new species is largely similar to Echinoparyphium recurvatum, however, the most remarkable difference lays in the higher number of collar spines which are 48–51 in E. limosorum n. sp. but 45 in E. recurvatum. The authors discuss relative impact of numerical generic characters and propose an amending of the diagnosis of The genus Echinoparyphium given by Kostadinova (2005) as follows: Collar spines up to 51, sharply pointed, all in double row.

Cotylophoron cotylophorum and Balanorchis anastrophus are the only amphistomes of ruminants that have been described so far in Argentina. Recent observations suggest that C. cotylophorum could have been misclassified. To confirm this, we examined specimens, collected in Corrientes Province and classified by Racioppi et al. (1994) as Cotylophoron cotylophorum, and re-classified these as Paramphistomum leydeni Näsmark, 1937. Flukes collected from Zárate (Buenos Aires) were also studied and compared against the former, resulting in the same species. The present study reports the existence of P. leydeni in Argentina, modifies the previous classification of C. cotylophorum and suggests that, based on the evidence of the amphistomes described so far, P. leydeni would be the most prevalent species in cattle of Argentina.

The effect of arbuscolar mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the nematicidal activity of Thymus vulgaris against the rootknot nematodes Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica was investigated in two in vitro experiments. In the first experiment egg masses of M. incognita and M. javanica were immersed for 3 weeks in aqueous leaf extracts of thyme plants non-inoculated or previously inoculated with Glomus mosseae or mixed AMF strains (Sclerocystis sinuosa, Glomus claroideum-1, G. claroideum-2 and G. claroideum-3). Thereafter the hatching test continued in distilled water for five more weeks. In the second experiment egg masses of both Meloidogyne species were exposed to the different thyme extracts for 4, 8 and 16 hours and then incubated in distilled water for 8 weeks. Distilled water and 5 mg/ml aqueous solution of fenamiphos nematicide were used as controls. Numbers of second stage juveniles emerging weekly were expressed as cumulative percentages of the total egg content of the egg masses. In the first experiment juvenile emergence from eggs of both Meloidogyne species immersed in thyme extracts for three weeks was completely suppressed since the first week. Hatching of eggs of M. incognita in all the extracts was significantly lower than that in water control, although emergence in the extract from uninoculated thyme plants was significantly higher than the others and no statistical different from that of aqueous fenamiphos solution. Emergence of M. javanica juveniles was significantly lower after immersion in all the extracts than in distilled water control and aqueous fenamiphos solution. In the second experiment a 4-hour exposure to the extract from thyme inoculated with G. mosseae and mixed AMF population significantly reduced the final hatch of M. incognita in comparison to distilled water. A 16-hour exposure to the extract from mixed AMF inoculated plants resulted in a significantly lower egg hatch than the shorter exposure times, whereas no statistical difference was found between 4 and 8 hour exposure to both extracts. Emergence of M. javanica juveniles was statistically lower than in water only after 16 hours exposure to the extracts from mixed AMF strains inoculated plants, but no difference was found among the different exposure times. Growth of T. vulgaris was significantly increased only by the infections of mixed AMF strains.

The effect of lead on soil nematode communities at the 0–20 cm depth was investigated along an increasing distance from a highway in Northeast China. The results showed that the abundance of total nematodes significantly increased from 40 m and then decreased eventually and the similar trend was also found in most indices studied. Thirty seven genera of nematodes belonging to 8 orders and 24 families were observed in our study, and Helicotylenchus was eudominant genus at all the sampling sites. The numbers of total nematodes significantly correlated with total and available Pb (P < 0.05), while ΣMI had a significantly negative correlation with TOC, Total N (P < 0.01) and C/N ratio (P < 0.05). Total and available Pb in soil had positive correlation with the numbers of total nematodes and bacterivores. The concentration of Pb also had an effect on abundance of Helicotylenchus, which increased in moderate concentration of Pb. NCR could be effectively used as indicators, as it was sensitive to concentration of Pb.

A rare nematode species Leptonchus granulosus Cobb, 1920 was recovered from soil samples collected from pine forest from the locality of Mužla, in south-western part of the country and from fruit (apricot and peach) orchards from the locality of Svätá Mária, in south-eastern region of Slovakia. In spite of geographical distance of the localities, both are characterised by warm and dry conditions and by specific very light sandy soils derived from dune sand. Only females were recovered from both localities.

A population of Xiphinema vuittenezi from an apple orchard and a population of X. diversicaudatum from a peach orchard yielded bivulval females. Morphometrics of these females are presented.