Volume 47 (2010): Issue 4 (December 2010)

Egg production capacity in Fasciola gigantica (Japanese strain) was estimated from egg count data obtained by the experimental infection of two goats. The goats were inoculated with a single dose of 50 metacercariae. The first goat was necropsied 132 days after infection (DAI) and the second goat 732 DAI. After patency, daily faecal production was collected and weighed and number of eggs per gram was counted. At necropsy, 23 flukes were recovered from the liver of the first goat, and five from the second goat. The mean number of eggs produced per day per worm (± 95 % confidence limits) was 9 477.9 (± 764.92) for the first goat at 106 to 132 DAI, and 8,064.1 (± 416.49) at 195 to 561 DAI for the second goat. The number of eggs produced per day per worm in F. gigantica (Japanese strain) has thus reached values ranged from approximately 8 000 to 10 000 eggs.

A study involved 1800 hospitalised children (age: 9 months to 16 years) examined by ovoscopic analyses and confirmed the occurrence of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura in 46 patients (2.55 %). Of these, 30 patients had Ascaris infection, 13 were positive for both nematodes and 3 patients had Trichuris infection. The mean count of A. lumbricoides eggs in positive cases was 1050 eggs per gramme (EPG) in range 150–4450 EPG. The mean count of T. trichiura eggs was 150 EPG (50–250 EPG). The highest intensities of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infections occurred in children 3–5 years of age living in poor hygienic conditions. Most common clinical conditions in all the patients included anaemia combined with complicated bronchopneumonia, colitis and gastritis. The strongest correlation between the parasite burden and selected laboratory test data (eosinophil count, haemoglobin, total serum iron) was found in children of 2 years of age (P < 0.05) and decreased with age.

Of 25 wild boars (Sus scrofa) collected in southern Poland during the winter season of 2009/2010 and examined for lung nematodes, 20 (80.0 %) were concominantly infected, and the mean ± SD intensity reached 84.8 ± 67.6 (range 7–250) parasites. From the whole of 1695 gathered Metastrongylidae specimens, 1121 (66.1 %) were distinguished to five species: Metastrongylus pudendotectus, M. salmi, M. asymmetricus, M. elongatus and M. confusus. The species ratios were 3.4:2.7:1.5:1.1:1.0, respectively, with the average male to female worms proportion of 1:2.7. M. pudendotectus and M. confusus affected most (76.0 %) of animals, followed by M. salmi (72.0 %), M. elongatus (64.0 %) and M. asymmetricus (40.0 %). Compared to juveniles under 1 year and females, adults and male hosts tended to be more infected, and wild boars inhabiting primeval forest were more affected by lung nematodes than those living in the arable land, all the differences being however not significant. Possible factors structuring Metastrongylidae communities are discussed.

A total of 74 European brown hares (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778), hunted during the winter seasons of 2006 and 2007, were examined by dissection for the presence of helminths and coprologically for protozoa. The animals came from five districts with a high population density of this species. Our results revealed 54.5 % of specimens being infected with one or more helminth species and a high prevalence of eimeriid coccidia (91.89 %). The most prevalent helminth species was Trichuris leporis (55.41 %). Lower prevalence was found for Passalurus ambiguus (12.16 %) and Trichostrongylus retortaeformis (6.76 %). The intensity of infection was low for all parasite species. As for coccidia, Eimeria semisculpta (74.35 %) and E. leporis (61.54%) were recorded in all districts. Other coccidia showed lower prevalence rates: E. robertsoni (15.38 %), E. europaea (12.82 %), E. babatica (12.82 %), E. hungarica (5.13 %) and E. towsendi (2.56 %), occurring only in some districts. The highest infection rate was observed in E. semisculpta, 7657.8 oocysts per gram of faeces (OPG). The potential effect of protozoan infection on hare mortality is discussed.

In this report, European common toads; Bufo bufo, European green toads Bufo viridis and marsh frogs Rana ridibunda were collected in Amasya, Çorum, and Tokat Provinces (Middle Black Sea Region of Turkey) 2005 and 2006 and examined for helminths. Two of 2 (100 %) Bufo bufo and 8 of 8 (100 %) Bufo viridis and 57 of 63 (90.5 %) Rana ridibunda were infected with 1 or more helminths. The helminths of B. bufo included Oswaldocruzia filiformis and Oxysomatium brevicaudatum. The helminth fauna of B. viridis comprised 5 species: 1 species of trematode (Pleurogenoides medians), 1 species of cestode (Nematotaenia dispar) and 3 species of nematodes, (Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Cosmocerca ornata, and Oxysomatium brevicaudatum), while the helminth fauna of Rana ridibunda comprised 9 species: 4 species of trematodes (Gorgodera cygnoides, Gorgoderina vitelliloba, Haematoloechus breviansa, and Opisthioglyphe ranae), 3 species of nematodes Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Cosmocerca ornata, and Oxysomatium brevicaudatum), and 2 species of acanthocephalans (Pomphorhynchus laevis and Acanthocephalus ranae). Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Cosmocerca ornata, and Oxysomatium brevicaudatum were collected from all three host species. In addition, Pleurogenoides medians represents a new host record for Bufo viridis in Turkey.

The effects of ivermectin were studied in laboratory rats naturally infected with the pinworm Syphacia muris. Ivermectin was administered over four 5-days periods in drinking water; the ivermectin dose was 2.5 mg/kg of body weight per day. All the rats were weighed every five days and their ova production was monitored by a cellophane — tape test. Every fifth day six males and six females from the experimental group were euthanized and examined for adult pinworms and larvae. The rats’ health condition, behaviour and consumption of food and water were monitored every day. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of orally administered ivermectin as a treatment against adult pinworms and their larvae in laboratory rat colonies.

A helminthological survey was performed on 143 brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) from the city of Palermo (Italy). The overall prevalence of helminth infection was 98.60 %. The following parasites were found: Brachylaima sp. (prevalence 8.39 %) (Trematoda); Taenia taeniaeformis larvae (11.89 %), Rodentolepis nana (13.29 %), Hymenolepis diminuta (24.48 %) (Cestoda); Gongylonema sp., (4.90 %), Syphacia muris (8.39 %), Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (18.88 %), Eucoleus gastricus (30.07 %), Mastophorus muris (30.77 %), Capillaria hepatica (54.55 %), Heterakis spumosa (82.52 %) (Nematoda) and one acanthocephalan (0.70 %). The species found in males were also present in females, with the exception of the acanthocephalan. No significant differences were found between males and females in prevalence (P%) or mean infection intensity (MI). However, a significant correlation between both P% and MI, as well as host age, was observed in some helminth species. Hosts were infected by one to six helminth species (median = 3). This is the first report from Sicily of helminths in R. norvegicus.

In this paper, seasonal samples of wild versus cultured groupers, Epinephelus spp., from Daya Bay, South China Sea were examined to survey the seasonality of two important species, Pseudorhabdosynochus coioidesis and P. serrani (Monogenea: Diplectanidae), and to analyze the interspecific relationships between these two parasites. Between April 2008 and January 2009, P. coioidesis and P. serrani were found to be parasitic only on E. coioides Hamilton during summer and winter in the natural waters of Daya Bay, exhibiting a high degree of host specificity, whereas they co-occurred and persisted on several species of hosts, such as E. coioides, E. bruneus Block and E. awoara Temminck & Schlegel, in an experimental polyculture pond during several seasons. E. coioides is the main host for both of these two monogenean species. The overall prevalences and mean intensities of these two parasites on polycultured Epinephelus spp. showed the same pattern of seasonal fluctuations, with the maximum values during autumn, except for the overall prevalence of P. serrani, which reached its maximum values during summer and winter and the minimum values during spring and autumn. Prevalence and mean intensity were found to be related to host size. In the wild, medium-sized fishes harboured higher infections, whereas under cultured conditions the small-sized and large-sized fishes were more heavily infected. Simultaneous infections of P. coioidesis and P. serrani were common, and there was a significant positive interspecific correlation between these two parasites.

The helminth parasite fauna of 2 species of freshwater fishes from the upper Piaxtla River in northwestern Mexico was studied. A total of 41 cyprinids, corresponding to 20 Campostoma ornatum and 21 Codoma ornata were analyzed. Six species of platyhelminths were recorded, including 2 species of monogeneans (Gyrodactylus sp. and Dactylogyrus sp.), 3 species of digeneans (Posthodiplostomum minimum, Clinostomum complanatum, and Margotrema sp.), and 1 species of tapeworm (Bothriocephalus acheilognathi). Helminth parasite infracommunities were depauperate, showed low richness and diversity values, and were dominated by 1 or 2 helminth species. This pattern is consistent with that observed for the helminth parasite communities in other freshwater fishes in central and northern Mexico.

The ultrastructure of the mature spermatozoon of the bothriocephalidean tapeworm Eubothrium rugosum, a parasite of the burbot, Lota lota (L.), was studied by transmission electron microscopy for the first time. In addition, spermatozoon ultrastructure of Eubothrium crassum has been re-assessed. New is the finding, that the mature spermatozoa of both species of the genus Eubothrium exhibit essentially the same general morphology. They are filiform cells tapering at both extremities, and they possess the two axonemes with 9+“1” pattern of Trepaxonemata, attachment zones, a nucleus, cortical microtubules (CMs), electron-dense granules, and a single crested body. Structural polymorphism of the CBs has been found within the two Eubothrium species for the first time. The anterior ring of electron-dense tubular structures surrounding a single axoneme marks the border between the two defined regions, region I and region II of the spermatozoon. This unique feature has only been observed in the Bothriocephalidea. The anuclear axoneme region II of Eubothrium spermatozoa fluently verges into a nuclear region III. The posterior part of the spermatozoon contains one-axoneme, few CMs and a posterior extremity of the nucleus that subsequently disappears. The posterior extremity of the male gametes of the genus Eubothrium exhibits elements of a disorganized axoneme which characterize also spermatozoa of the family Triaenophoridae. Discussed are interspecific similarities and differences between the spermatozoa of the two Eubothrium species as well as between these and other Eucestoda.

The record of occurrence of Longidorus poessneckensis Altherr, 1974 in forest soils with Betuleto-Carpineto-Quercetum in geographically specific conditions of a hilltop contributes to the broadening of ecological knowledge about this species. To date, the species was considered to prefer the habitats along river banks — narrow or large valleys and plains. The ecological, morphometrical and molecular characteristics of recorded L. poessneckensis are presented here.

The anthelmintic effects of flubendazole (FLU), its two main metabolites reduced flubendazole (FLU-R) and hydrolyzed flubendazole (FLU-H), and thiabendazole (TBZ) were compared using an in vitro larval development test in two isolates of Haemonchus contortus, a fully susceptible isolate (HCS) and a multi-resistant isolate (HCR). Results were quantified as 50 % lethal concentration (LC50), 99 % lethal concentration (LC99), efficacy factor (EF), and resistance factor (RF). For HCS, both LC50 and LC99 of FLU were lower than those of the reference TBZ. The anthelmintic activity of FLU-R in HCS and HCR was 13 and 6 times lower than the activity of FLU, respectively. The anthelmintic activity of FLU-H was negligible (approximately 363–853 times lower) compared to that of FLU. Although a marked resistance of the HCR isolate to TBZ was confirmed, only a low tolerance to FLU-R and slightly higher tolerance to FLU were found.

The nematode Schulmanela petruschewskii (Shulman, 1948) was identified during the parasitological examination on the liver parenchyma in one specimens of a cultured rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) which reared in Derbent Dam Lake in Samsun, Turkey (41°25′6′’ North latitude, 35°49′52′’ East longitude) in August 2008. This parasite species was not previously reported from Turkey. With the present study we report S. petruschewskii for the first time in Turkey. This specimen which is a parasite of cultured rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is a new record for the Turkish parasite fauna. Original measurements and figures are presented.