Volume 50 (2013): Issue 1 (May 2013)

Use of organic soil amendments is a traditional agricultural practice for improving physical and chemical soil properties, soil structure, temperature and humidity conditions as well as nutrients content which are needful for plants growth. Application of organic materials to soil can cause a change in soil microflora and microfauna including soil nematodes. Nematodes, are the most ample and varied group of soil fauna. They are ever-present habitants of all soil types with high population densities. The changes in soil nematodofauna can results in an increase in the number of beneficial nematodes such as bacterial or fungal feeders and decrease and/or suppression in the occurrence of economically important plant parasitic nematodes. A variety of organic amendments, such as animal and green manure, undecomposed (raw) or decomposed materials (compost) are used for this purpose. Generally, plant parasitic nematodes have been controlled mainly by chemical soil fumigants and nematicides, agricultural practices or resistant cultivars. However, organic amendments can provide an environmentally friendly alternative to the use of chemical nematicides, which are often expensive, of limited availability in many developing countries and above all environmentally hazardous.

During the years 2002–2008 endoparasitoses of fallow deer Dama dama were monitored in White Carpathians (Czech Republic). Samples of excrements were tested by flotation and Baermann method and occasionally grallochs were dissected in order to detect gastrointestinal nematods (GIN) and lungworms (LW). In the same time we cooperated with gamekeepers, who carried out several differently successful measurements to lower the endoparasites’ prevalence. These measurements included pasture management, shooting management, additional-feeding management and drug treatment, all during the whole period of monitoring. Prevalence of endoparasites had descending trend, while intensity of infection had ascending trend. Total maximal prevalence (GIN+LW) in herd was 60 % (2004), in 2008, it fell down to 20 %. Annual dynamic of parasites was always highest in autumn months. Spectrum of detected parasites consisted only of species of the order Strongylida. Monitoring proved, that breeding management strategy can significantly influence parasitocenoses and help animals to regain health.

The study aimed to estimate the role of small rodents in the circulation of larval toxocarosis in light of their different habitats. From 2005 to 2008, a total of 1523 small rodents, belonging to 11 species, were captured in 5 different habitats of Slovakia. Anti-Toxocara antibodies were detected in 6.6 % animals. The dominant reservoirs of toxocarosis were striped-field mouse Apodemus agrarius (11.7 %) and mound-building mouse Mus spicilegus (10.7 %), while the seropositivity of voles was low. Sexually active adults were infected more frequently (10.8%) in comparison with inactive ones (5.2 %). According to habitats, seroprevalence of toxocarosis in windbreaks (2.4 %) was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than in agrocoenoses (6.7 %), alluvia (8.5 %) and ecotones (7.5 %). Log-linear analysis performed in A. agrarius indicates that type of habitat and sexual activity affect the seropositivity to Toxocara infection. The highest seroprevalence was observed in alluvium (21.2 %) while the lowest in windbreak (1.8 %) (χ2 = 17.232, p < 0.001) and sexually active mice were characterised by 22.5 % and sexually inactive by 6.4 % seroprevalence (χ2 = 30.634, p < 0.001). The occurrence pattern of toxocarosis in small rodents suggests that they are permanent reservoirs for Toxocara spp. in nature and significant indicators of Toxocara egg contamination in environs.

Parasites have been recognized as indicators for natural or man-induced environmental stress and perturbation. In this article, we investigated the role of two non-exclusive hypotheses on the response of helminths of wood mice to fire perturbation: 1) a reduction of the helminth infracommunity (species richness) in post-fire areas due to the temporal lack of worms with indirect (complex) life cycles linked to intermediate hosts that are more specialized than the final host, and 2) an increase of the abundance of helminths with direct (simple) life cycles as a response of increasing abundances of the final host, may be in stressful conditions linked to the post-fire recolonization process.

We studied the helminth infracommunities of 97 wood mice in two recently burned plots (two years after the fire) and two control plots in Mediterranean forests of NE Spain. Species richness of helminths found in control plots (n = 14) was twice large than in burned ones (n = 7). Six helminth species were negatively affected by fire perturbation and were mainly or only found in unburned plots. Fire increased the homogeneity of helminth infracommunities, and burned plots were characterised by higher dominance, and higher parasitation intensity. We found a gradient of frequency of occurrence of helminth species according to life cycle complexity in burned areas, being more frequent monoxenous (66.6 %), than diheteroxenous (33.3 %) and triheteroxenous (0 %), confirming the utility of helminths as bioindicators for ecosystem perturbations. Despite the short period studied, our results pointed out an increase in the abundance and prevalence of some direct life cycle helminths in early postfire stages, whereas indirect life cycle helminths were almost absent. A mismatch between the final host (that showed a fast recovery shortly after the fire), and the intermediate hosts (that showed slow recoveries shortly after the fire), was responsible for the loss of half of the helminth species.

The common pigeon (Columba livia) is adapted to a variety of habitats; including big cities and rural areas everywhere in the world. Several studies confirm that feral pigeons pose a considerable health risk to the livestock and human population. They may serve as a reservoir for several pathogenic agents that can be transmitted to poultry; wildlife; domesticated pets and humans. The aim of this survey was to investigate the cestode species present in feral pigeons in Thessaloniki; Northern Greece. A total of 136 adult feral pigeons were necropsied and the cestodes recovered were preserved for identification using morphological keys. Ninety-six (70.58 %) of them were found to be infected with cestode parasites; which were identified to be Raillietina spp.: 84 (61.76 %) were infected with R. echinobothrida; 20 (14.7 %) with R. cesticillus and 8 (5.88%) with R. tetragona. Single infection was recorded in 80 birds (83.3 % of the infected population); while a significantly lower number; i.e. 16 birds (16.7 %); had a mixed infection with R. echinobothrida and R. cesticillus (p ≤ 0.05). The current study confirms that feral pigeons in Northern Greece are heavily infected with cestode parasites. Therefore; it was concluded that feral pigeon management programmes and public education should be implemented to reduce the risk of a pigeon-to-human or livestock transmission of pathogenic agents and parasites in the country.

Microtrema gen. n. and Microtrema barusi sp. n. are described from the intestine of Prunella modularis in the Czech Republic. Genus and species have the following features: Body claviform, widest in region of ventral sucker. Tegument densely covered with tiny spines. Suckers small, widely separated. Oral sucker globular, subterminal. Ventral sucker globular, equatorial. Prepharynx very short or absent. Pharynx small, fine. Oesophagus divided into two short intestinal branches ending blindly anterior to testes. Testes globular, lateral, in region of ventral sucker. Vesicula seminalis small, genital pore in short distance before ventral sucker and opening of uterus. Bursa cirri and cirrus absent. Ovary globular, median, between testes. Mehlis’ gland long oval, posterior to ovary. Vitellarium weakly developed, in two lateral clusters composed of small follicles. Uterus in posterior part of body, with many eggs, covering vitellarium and partly ventral sucker. Excretory vesicle V-shaped, pore terminal.

A new nematode species, Subulura mackoi n. sp., is described based on specimens from the colon and caecum of the Eurasian Scops Owl Otus scops (L.) (Aves: Strigiformes) from the Czech Republic, collected in 2011. Males are characterized by 10 pairs of caudal papillae, a single papilla on the upper lip of the cloaca, and small unequal spiculae; female distinguishing features are body length, distance of the vulva from the anterior extremity, tail length, and egg dimension.

Analysis of the zoogeographical distribution and host specialization (in the bird orders) of 68 valid species from the genus Subulura Molin, 1860 shows significantly high species diversity in the tropical zones. Only one species, S. brumpti, is a cosmopolitan parasite of Gallus gallus f. domestica and other domesticated gallinaceous birds. Zoogeographical-host interactions may be utilized to support the identification of morphospecies of the genus Subulura.

In this research, a total of 298 Eurasian marsh frogs, Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771) were collected from different localities in Denizli province (Inner-west Anatolia Region, the eastern part of Aegean Region) Turkey between 2006 and 2009 and examined for helminths. Of 262 (87.91 %) Pelophylax ridibundus samples were infected with one or more helminths. Pelophylax ridibundus harbored eight species of digeneans (Diplodiscus subclavatus, Gorgoderina vitelliloba, Gorgodera cygnoides, Pleurogenoides medians, Prosotocus confusus, Skrjabinoeces breviansa, Encyclometra colubrimurorum and Ophistoglyhe ranae), one species of cestode (Nematotaenia dispar), two species of acanthocephalans (Acanthocephalus ranae and Pomphorhynchus laevis), and six species of nematodes (Rhabdias bufonis, Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Cosmocerca ornata, Oxysomatium brevicaudatum, Eustrongylides sp. and Abbreviata sp.). P. ridibundus represents a host record for Nematotaenia dispar in Turkey.

During the survey of Pachyiulus krivolutskyi Golovatch, 1977 (Diplopoda) near Nickel’ in Adygei Republic (Russia) in the summer 2009 the infestation of these millipeds with nematomorphs of the species Gordionus alpestris was revealed. The morphology of naturally emerging nematomorphs was studied in SEM. The partial sequences of 18S (883 bp) and 28S (393 bp) rDNA PCR-products were obtained and analyzed. An unexpectedly high level of differences between Gordionus alpestris found in diplopods of North-West Caucasus and other molecularly studied representatives of the family Chordodidae was observed.

Reinvestigation of vitellogenesis in the caryophyllidean cestode Caryophyllaeus laticeps (Pallas, 1781) has been performed using light microscope (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and cytochemical staining with periodic acid-thiosemicarbazide-silver proteinate (PA-TSC-SP) for glycogen. Vitellogenesis is generally similar to that reported in the past, however, some new observations were made. The present study reveals the first evidence of: (i) interstitial tissue in the vitelline follicles, (ii) lipid droplets in maturing and mature vitellocytes from vitelline follicles, and (iii) lamellar bodies in vitellocytes from the vitelloduct in C. laticeps. Projections of interstitial tissue surround each vitellocyte and the follicle periphery. The perinuclear cytoplasm of the interstitial tissue contains granular endoplasmic reticulum and vesicles of various size and density. Cytoplasmic osmiophobic lipid droplets and lamellar bodies, previously believed to be absent in most caryophyllid cestodes, are readily apparent in vitellocytes of C. laticeps. The origin and presumed function of these inclusions are discussed. On the other hand, the formation and storage of massive amounts of glycogen in the nucleus and large amounts in the cytoplasm of mature vitelline cells are similar to the condition found in other caryophyllids. Results are compared and contrasted with previous studies on vitellogenesis in other monopleuroid cestodes (Amphilinidea and Gyrocotylidea) as well as polypleuroid cestodes (Spathebothriidea) and the remaining strobilated Eucestoda.