Comparative morphological and biometric characteristics of microfilariae of Onchocerca gutturosa and O. volvulus from different geographical areas (Upper Orinoco, Venezuela; Togo; Liberia) were assessed. “Stepwise” discriminant analysis and Mahalanobis estimators were applied to measure distance between populations. The results indicate a strong similarity between the two strains from the Upper Orinoco (Venezuela) and the Togo strain, as well as a clear separation between these strains and that of O. gutturosa. The Liberian strain was easily distinguishable from microfilariae from Togo and Venezuela. Discriminant analysis showed the Liberian deme to be as different from the Venezuelan and Togo demes as these demes were from microfilariae of the reference species, O. gutturosa. Although it is necessary to confirm these data using formalin-fixed specimens obtained from the skin, the present findings suggest the existence of geographically-different strains of O. volvulus in America and Africa.

1. Two new species, Spironoura sudanensis sp. nov. and Spironoura hexapapillata sp. nov. are described from freshwater fishes in the Sudan.

2. The genus Velariocephalus Singh, 1958 is considered to be a synonym of the genus Spironoura Leidy, 185G.

The daily cercarial output of two Nigerian strains of Schistosoma haematobium in sympatric Bulinus truncatus, B. globosus and B. senegalensis was measured at weekly intervals from the start of emission to the snails' death. In all cases cercariae were released throughout the life of the host, with no cases of “self cure”. Patterns of output through the course of infections in B. truncatus and B. senegalensis were similar to those reported for S. haematobium by other workers, with daily production of cercariae rising to a peak within a few weeks of the onset of shedding, then declining until the host's death. In the longer lived B. globosus production was significantly higher, but declined to very low levels after the initial peak; in some individuals cercarial output remained very low, while others showed a second period of high cercarial emission. The relative compatibility of each host-parasite combination is discussed.

The differential blood count of the normal laboratory rat shows at all times a greater proportion of lymphocytes than of neutrophiles. In rats infected with 400–600 larvae there is within 2–4 days of the infection a great relative, and possibly absolute, neutrophilia with a corresponding lymphocytopenia, which becomes less marked as the infection progresses, though the percentage of neutrophiles remains above, and that of lymphocytes below, the normal average. This neutrophilia is accompanied by a moderate left shift in the Cooke polynuclear count which may persist for a considerable period. At the same time the infection is immediately followed by a relative eosinopenia or aneosinophilia which persists for 1–5 days and is probably due to the setting up of a local eosinophilia in the sub-mucosa of the intestine. Thereafter the eosinophilia becomes generalised and reaches its maximum in 7–16 days after infection, with considerable fluctuations from day to day, finally settling to a low-grade eosinophilia which may persist for some months. The degree of eosinophilia appears to be only generally related to the severity of the infection and depends on the individual host animal. Persistence of aneosinophilia is an unfavourable prognostic sign.

During August, 1922, acting as an Honorary Parasitologist to the Zoological Society of London, I examined an Indian Cobra, the “Hamadryad” Naja bungarus, which died in the Society's gardens. A single trematode was found in the Gall bladder. It was living and active. A careful search for other examples of this trematode in the snake proved negative.

Onchocerca raillieti is the only Onchocerca species infecting Sudanese donkeys; it occurs only in the ligamentum nuchae, especially in the lamellar part of the ligament. The morphological features of both uterine and skin microfilariae were determined. Skin microrilariae are shorter than uterine ones and tend to accumulate in the regions of Linea alba and withers of infected donkeys. The possible identity of the vector of this worm in the Sudan is discussed.

Freeze fixation-dehydration was used for the first time in the preparation of attached Gyrodactylus for SEM viewing. The technique provided instant immobilization of specimens before death and negligible shrinkage throughout the fixation-dehydration process. Comparisons of sample means of two linear measurements of attached opisthaptors showed 20% more shrinkage of Gyrodactylus fixed using 10% neutral buffered formalin than those which were freeze fixed. Freeze fixation-dehydration was excellent for the study of gross external morphology of attached Gyrodactylus. However, the freeze fixation-dehydration process may cause disruption of intracellular structural components making delicate tissues brittle and more prone to damage during subsequent manipulation.

In a memoir on human and animal schistosomiasis (1934c), I reported the presence of bovine schistosomes for the first time in the Belgian Congo (Elisabethville). I also expressed the opinion that the bovine schistosomiasis in Katanga was of Rhodesian origin. It came from that same region from which Veglia & Leroux in 1929 described a new schistosome of Bovidae and Ovidae under the name Schislosoma mattheei, a species which has since given rise to some controversy. The material I brought back from Elisabethville readily lent itself to a morphological study of the two African bovine schistosomes.

Researches involving dilution egg-counts, recently carried out by members of the staff of this Institute, have shown that the error variance, i.e. that between parallel counts, approximates more or less closely to the mean count. The following examples illustrate this point:—

The counts were all made by the same technique, and it is fair to total them in order to observe the average effect. This agreement between variance (or mean square) and mean is a feature of the Poisson distribution, and it has been assumed that dilution counts are in fact distributed according to the terms of that series, in all cases where the technique is adequate. Reasonable agreement between mean and error variance becomes, indeed, a criterion of the accuracy of the sampling technique. The purpose of the present note is to enquire a little further into the theoretical basis of this assumption, doubts having arisen as to whether high counts (say, up to 100) can be expected to conform to the Poisson series.

The essence of the McMaster (Gordon & Whitlock) technique is that one counts the eggs lying under a centimetre square engraved on a coverglass which is supported 0·15 cm. above a slide, i.e. the eggs contained in 0·15 cc. of faecal suspension. Since the suspending liquid is a half-saturated solution of salt, the eggs float up into one optical plane immediately below the coverglass, this making for ease in counting.

Since the publication of the writer's (1932) paper on the nematode genus Anguillulina, opportunities have occurred from time to time for making further observations on the morphology and anatomy of some of the species of the genus found associated with the roots of plants. Certain of them are parasitic in roots, at least during part of their life, at other times occurring free in the soil. Others have not been found within roots but have been obtained only in water extracts of turf and their exact relation to the roots of plants is at present undetermined.

889 alimentary tracts from sheep and goats were examined for worms during 1970 and 1971.

The severity of infection with each of the worm species is discussed and it is concluded that infections with Ostertagia spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. are the most important and that Haemonchus contortus, Bunostomum trigonocephalum and Chabertia ovina are of secondary importance.

The animals were divided into different age groups and a study was made of the severity of mixed infections in each group. The point system adopted by Parnell et al. (1954) was used for the study.

The most unexpected finding was that lambs and kids under 8 months old rarely suffered from infections of any significance. Infections built up slowly after that age. It was therefore presumed that animals remained vulnerable to infections at a much later age than in other countries.

Infections that might cause sub-clinical disease were seen in 31% of all animals and heavier infections were seen in 20% of the animals. This was considered a conservative estimate and shows the importance of gastro-intestinal parasites in sheep and goats in Cyprus.

Adult sheep appeared to be more heavily infected than goats, although some differences in animal husbandry between the two may have contributed to this.

From this study of age distribution, it was found that the autumn peak in the infection rate was not caused by the infection of young animals, which remained low at this time of the year.

The prevalence of Toxocara vitulorum in cattle around Bursa, Turkey, was surveyed by faecal examination of eggs. The average infection rate among 11 towns was 5·1% in calves younger than 6-months-old, and 2·2% in all ages of animals. T. vitulorum was found to be prevalent in two different areas of Bursa. Third stage larvae were found in one milk sample and therefore galactogenic transmission was suggested. Experimental incubation of eggs showed that the optimum temperature for development was 20 to 30°C and eggs could survive under low temperature, indicating that grazing in the contaminated pasture may accelerate the transmission of eggs to cows. Mode of farming, therefore, affects the infection rate of T. vitulorum and may explain the difference in the rate between the two areas.

The production of parasite transmission stages was investigated in the faeces of 77 farm-bred ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). Coccidian oocysts (Eimeria sp.), and nematode eggs (Heterakis sp., and Capillaria-like eggs) were recovered before and after release but all birds were treated prior to release. Treatment with fenbendazole significantly reduced the abundance of transmission-stage excretion for all parasites, and reduced the prevalence in the case of Eimeria sp. and Heterakis sp. Nonetheless, a significant increase in the excretion abundance for all parasites and in the prevalence of Eimeria sp. and Heterakis sp. was found after release. Eggs of Ascaridia sp. were found only after releasing, suggesting infection ocurred in the wild. A negative relationship was found between the pheasant body condition and Heterakis excretion abundance and a higher abundance of Capillaria sp. eggs in female birds. No significant relationship was found between parasite excretion abundance and pheasant survival. Despite this, results suggest that an increase in the excretion of parasite transmission stages follows the release of captive pheasants into the wild. This can in part explain restocking failures, but also means that autochtonous free-living birds may become exposed to new and potentially harmful pathogens. To avoid these risks it is proposed that improved prophylactic measures should be taken.

Peroxynitrite (ONOO-) is a cytotoxic anion, produced by interaction between nitric oxide and superoxide in vivo in some inflammatory cells. This study investigated its effects on Fasciola hepatica and Dicrocoelium dendriticum isolated from ovine livers and kept in bile at room temperature. Peroxynitrite was synthesized using a quenched flow reactor and assayed spectrophotometrically. It was applied at different concentrations (10-3.5 to 10-2.3 M) to the flukes kept in bile. The viability of the peroxynitrite-treated flukes was compared with a control group (n=5–7 per group). Control F. hepatica and D. dendriticum lived for 226±11 and 208±14 min, respectively. Life times were decreased by peroxynitrite at all concentrations used (P<0.001). At the highest concentration of peroxynitrite, F. hepatica and D. dendriticum lived only for 6.1±0.4 and 4.1±4.1±0.2 min, respectively. Correlation between peroxynitrite concentration and parasite viability was significant in the case of F. hepatica (r=-0.842; P=0.0035). A single application of peroxynitrite can decrease the life span of ovine liver flukes. A failure in the activation of hepatic macrophages in infected animals may lead to a decreased production of free radicals and, thus, peroxynitrite. Such a failure is likely to deprive the body of a defence tool against multicellular parasites.

During the study of the telamon of various species of Cooperias collected from domesticated and wild ruminants in South Africa and from domesticated ruminants in Great Britain, it was observed that Cooperia serrata Mönnig, 1931 had no telamon and that it also differed from the other members of the genus in other respects.

A further survey in East Caprivi, Chobe National Park, Okavango swamps and Kavango was undertaken in June 1976. No evidence of lechwe schistosomes was found in droppings of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) nor baboons (Papio ursinus) living in lechwe habitats. It was thought that they were not capable of spreading or maintaining these parasites outside the confines of the known distribution of Kobus sp. The role of goats was equivocal but probably they too are poor hosts.

Kavango, an endemic area of S. haematobium and S. mansoni, was thought to be free of all animal schistosomes, thus confirming the hypotheses that (1) cattle and goats are poor hosts of the lechwe schistosomes and (2)S. mattheei was blocked from entering the territory by the presence of lechwe schistosomes in the surrounding areas. Evidence of schistosomes was not found in cattle and goats at Maun for the same reasons. The prevalence of S. mansoni at Maun has increased alarmingly over the past 20 years with a simultaneous disappearance of lechwe from the area. S. margrebowiei and S. leiperi eggs were found in lechwe and tsessebe droppings some 80 km north of Maun.

A high proportion of children with negative excreta from “non-endemic” areas in East Caprivi had positive CFT and/or skin tests, suggestive of exposure to lechwe schistosomes resulting in a possible immunity to S. mansoni and S. haematobium.

Galactosomum lacteum (Jägerskiöld, 1896) Looss, 1899 metacercariae, encysted on the optic nerve, on the brain and/or on the muscle and the connective of the pharynx and oesophagus, were found in Spicara maena L., S. flexuosa Rafinesque, 1810, S. smaris L. (Centracanthidae), Gobius cruentatus Gmelin, 1789 (Gobiidae), Symphodus tinca L., S. mediterraneus L. (Labridae), Serranus cabrilla L. (Serranidae), Diplodus sargus L. and D. annularis L. (Sparidae) caught in the Gulf of Cagliari (southern Sardinia, Italy). Excysted specimens were identified by some distinctive morphological features: more or less expanded forebody, depending on whether the specimens were living or fixed; tubular excretory bladder extending to the posterior border of the ovary; two-chambered seminal vesicle; asymmetrical and parenchymatous ventral sucker with lines of spines within its cavity; and unarmed gonotyle. Comparison has been made with the congeneric species metacercaria, G. timondavidi Pearson & Prévot, 1971, also registered in the Mediterranean Sea.

The rhadinorhynchid Sclerocollum saudii Al-Jahdali, 2010 was found in the intestine of its type host, Siganusrivulatus Forsskål & Niebuhr, 1775, a siganid fish permanently resident in a lagoon within the mangrove swamps found on the Egyptian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba (between 28°7′N and 28°18′N). Larval forms of this acanthocephalan (acanthors, acanthellae and cystacanths) were only found in Megaluropus agilis Hoek, 1889 (Crustacea: Gammaridae), a benthic amphipod abundant on algae and seagrasses in the lagoon. So, this life cycle of S. saudii was elucidated under semi-natural conditions: embryonated eggs of S. saudii were directly ingested by the amphipod and hatched in its intestine; the released acanthor penetrated the intestinal epithelium in 12–18 h to reach the connective tissue serosa, where it remained for about 3 days, then penetrated the intestinal wall and remained attached to its outer surface for 4 days. It then detached and dropped free in the amphipod haemocoel and transformed into an oval acanthella, growing for 16 days to reach the cystacanth stage. The cystacanth at 46 days post-infection was infective to fish (excysted in its intestine as an active juvenile). Male and female juveniles reached maturity 17 and 23 days post-infection. Recently copulated females first appeared 26 days post-infection and all females seemed to be copulated at 28 days post-infection; partially and fully gravid females first appeared 31 and 35 days post-infection. Mature males and fully gravid females started to die off naturally 31 and 43 days post-infection and were totally expelled from the fish intestine by 42 and 52 days post-infection. The cycle was completed in 89 days and is similar to other known palaeacanthocephalan life cycles, but has its own characteristics.

Echinococcus multilocularis, the causative agent of human alveolar echinococcosis, is an important emerging parasite in the northern hemisphere. In epidemiological studies, the highest attention is being paid to foxes as the main reservoir hosts responsible for geographic expansion from multiple focal populations and the invasion of urban habitats, but little information is available on the parasite distribution in other carnivores. Hence, the study was designed to obtain updated information about the occurrence and genetic diversity of E. multilocularis in grey wolves and dogs in Slovakia. Faecal samples of wolves were collected from three locations under a certain level of environmental protection in the central and eastern parts of the country, and the presence of the parasite DNA was detected in 35.7% of 112 samples, with the highest rate (51.2%) recorded in the Poloniny National Park in north-eastern Slovakia. Among 110 faecal dog samples, E. multilocularis was detected in three faeces from segregated Roma settlements in the eastern part of the country, which accounted for an overall positivity of 2.7%. Sequence analysis of two mitochondrial genes, 12S rRNA and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1, revealed four haplotypes in 13 isolates from wolves and dogs originating from four sites in eastern and central Slovakia, with all samples bearing a European-type pattern of E. multilocularis. The more than one-third positivity rate of E. multilocularis in wolf faecal samples dispersed over a large part of the country has corroborated the extensive circulation of the parasite in wildlife and confirmed the need to improve intervention control strategies.

Ten BALB/c mice were infected with the cestode Echinococcus granulosus. After the infection, serum was collected at different periods of time and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) were determined. The level of MCP-1 increased from 290±12 pg ml-1 (mean±SD) at day 20 post infection (p.i.), to a maximum of 820±23 pg ml-1 on day 60 p.i., then decreased to 460±12.6 pg ml-1 on day 130 p.i. A second peak was observed at day 150 p.i. In addition, MIP-2 was detectable in serum as late as day 100 p.i. The highest level (100±11 pg ml-1) was observed on day 130 p.i., and decreased thereafter. Serum from noninfected animals (controls) contained no detectable levels of either MCP-1 or MIP-2. However, MCP-1 and MIP-2 appear to be implicated in E. granulosus infections, but their exact role during the disease is under determination.