The present study considers the influence of the trophic status of three Kashmir Himalayan lakes on the patterns of helminth infracommunities in populations of three species of fish during 2006 to 2008. Data were collected from three lakes of differing trophic status in the Kashmir Himalayas, namely Anchar, a hyper(eu)trophic lake; Dal, a eutrophic lake; and Manasbal, a meso(eu)trophic lake. Three species of fish examined included the native fish Schizothorax niger Heckel and two exotic species – Carassius carassius (Linnaeus) and Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus. The analysis of data showed a clear habitat effect on the abundance pattern of helminth species, thus revealing lake-specific differences in parasite infracommunities of both S. niger and C. carassius. Helminth infracommunity richness was the highest in host populations from the Anchar lake compared to other two lakes. Low values in the Manasbal lake emphasize the low diversity of their helminth infracommunities. On the other hand, there was no observed pattern of community structure in the case of C. carpio in the three lake sites. However due to bias in sampling there was no distinct effect of fish body size on parasite infracommunity structure, although the present results do show that fish parasite data can be meaningful in diagnosing changes in the trophic condition of eutrophic lakes.

The list of recorded hosts of A. dipsaci given by Goodey (1929 and 1933) includes rhubarb, and records and observations in Yorkshire show that infestation by this eelworm is widespread in the rhubarb-growing districts of the county. It is important, at the outset, to note that as far as the writer's observations are concerned the eelworm invariably occurs in rhubarb plants suffering from a disease well-known among growers as Rhubarb Disease or Crown Rot. The following account must therefore include recurring references to this disease with which the eelworm appears to have an intimate association. The earliest records with regard to the disease appeared in the Journal of the Northern Horticultural Society but as this Society has been discontinued a brief summary of these records is given. In the February 1913 issue of this Journal, Hector and Taylor (1913) summarised various notes on the disease. They referred to an editorial in “The Fruit Grower” (9th January, 1913) concerning examination of diseased rhubarb roots received from Yorkshire in 1909 and again in 1913.

The genus Mesocestoides was created in 1863 by Vaillant to receive a new species of cestode found by him in Viverra genetta and named M. ambiguus. Unfortunately, the description of this form is such that, although the generic characters can be recognised, it is impossible to say to which of the several species found in mammals it should be referred, and therefore Fuhrmann (1908) regarded it as a species inquirenda. Weiss (1910), in redescribing a form of Mesocestoides from the same host, gives no details which would enable the parasite to be distinguished from the other members of the genus. He notes that his form is only 50 mm. long, while that described by Vaillant was 160 to 240 mm. long. However, as Neumann (1896) points out, M. lineatus has a size varying between 30 and 250 mm. The size of M. ambiguus therefore is only of use in showing that it does not belong to the species M. bassarisci or M. cæstus referred to later in this paper. It still leaves its identity a matter of speculation as, in addition to M. lineatus, M. mesorchis has dimensions which fall within these limits.

Comparison of the numbers of Schistosoma mattheei eggs and miracidia per gram faeces in groups of naturally infected calves, heifers and adult cows showed that the reduction in faecal egg excretion recorded as infection progresses is associated with a decline in the ability of eggs to hatch. While 50% of the eggs from calves produced a miracidium, only 15% of those excreted from adult cows did the same. The decline in egg viability is at least partly associated with morphological changes of the eggs. About twice as many smaller and vacuolated eggs were found in the faeces of heifers and adult cows (33.8%) as compared to animals in early infection (16.1%).

We evaluated the relationship between infection by proteocephalid cestodes and the sex and weight classes of tucunaré (Cichla piquiti) captured between August 1999 and June 2001 in the Volta Grande Reservoir, Minas Gerais, Brazil. A total of 96 fish, 75.9 ± 9.3% males and 88.9 ± 6.4% females, were parasitized by Proteocephalus macrophallus and P. microscopicus, with total mean intensities of 76.6 ± 23.9 and 145.2 ± 36.7, respectively, during this period. In the majority of the months analysed, males showed 71.4–100% prevalence of parasitism and females 80–100%. Although there was no significant difference, females showed a higher mean intensity of infection (145.2 ± 36.7) than males (76.6 ± 23.9). Fish weighing 300–800 g showed a higher mean abundance of parasites (P < 0.05) compared with the biggest specimens weighing 801–2750 g. Analysing both males and females together, the greatest mean intensities of infection were found in October and December (P < 0.05) independent of the year, which coincides with the months of highest rainfall. These results show that fish living in reservoirs may be more susceptible to intermediate hosts than those that live in rivers.

The beetle–tapeworm life cycle provides a convenient system to study how host behaviour influences the probability of re-infection because initial and secondary infections can be tracked. The beetle, Tenebrio molitor, is infected with the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta when it ingests rat faeces containing tapeworm eggs, which upon hatching undergo five morphologically distinct stages while developing inside the beetle. In a series of preference trials, both individual and groups of previously infected beetles were exposed to baits of infective (faeces with eggs) and uninfective faeces. Beetles did not differ in the amount of time spent or in the number of occurrences at each bait type, suggesting that infected beetles show no preference for infective faeces. This may be a host adaptation to avoid further infection, parasite manipulation to avoid competition for host resources, or both. Further, once infected, beetles are no more or no less likely to become re-infected than uninfected beetles. An analysis of the mean and variance of infection suggests that some individuals are highly susceptible to and some are highly resistant to infection, with males being more variable than females. This could explain the higher load of cysticercoids observed in males.

Relationships between the species diversity of different taxa, the mean number of articles published per year on each taxon, and the mean impact factor of the journals in which they appear, were examined across six taxa of helminths: Nematomorpha, Acanthocephala, Monogenea, Trematoda, Cestoda and Nematoda, the latter including only animal parasitic nematodes. The mean annual output of scientific articles per taxon was not related to the species diversity of these taxa or, at least, not significantly. Thus, the large volume of publications on nematodes is not merely a reflection of their estimated diversity. There were significant differences among taxa in the mean impact factor of the journals in which papers on each taxon appeared, with nematodes having the highest mean score, followed by trematodes and cestodes. In addition, across the six taxa, the mean journal impact factor correlated positively and significantly with the mean annual number of papers published: not only are there more papers published on nematodes and trematodes than on nematomorphs or acanthocephalans, but they are also generally published in higher-ranking journals. These results suggest that there is an increasing gap in the quantity and general importance of the research carried out on different helminth taxa.

138 wild duck of five species: Anas plalyrhynchos plalyrhynchos, A. penelope, A. crecca, A. acuta and Spatula clypeata taken in East Anglia, England were examined for trematodes, cestodes, nematodes and acanthocephala. Prevalence data are tabulated and maximum intensities recorded. The waterfowl were taken in the autumn and early winter and were presumed to be migrants coming in from western Europe.

Steiner (1931) published a brief note on the occurrence of disease in a yam tuber, from Jamaica, with which there were associated large numbers of a species of nematode which he placed in the genus Hoplolaimus. Steiner and LeHew (1933) published a description of the nematode parasite obtained from this yam and gave it the name Hoplolaimus bradys. At a later date Steiner and Buhrer (1934) recorded the same parasite from a yam coming from Porto Rico.

Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati are nematode parasites in dogs and cats, respectively, transmitted by ingestion of embryonated eggs, transmammary and transplacental (T. canis) routes and paratenic host predation. Many parasites use mechanisms that change the behaviour of their hosts to ensure continued transmission. Several researchers have demonstrated behavioural changes in mouse models as paratenic hosts for T. canis. However, there have been no studies on behavioural changes in laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus) experimentally infected with T. cati. This study investigated behavioural changes and muscle strength in male and female rats experimentally infected with T. cati or T. canis in acute and chronic phases of infection. Regardless of sex, rats infected with T. cati showed a greater decrease in muscle strength 42 days post infection compared to rats infected with T. canis. However, behavioural changes were only observed in female rats infected with T. canis.

Timoniella spp. are cryptogonimid flukes (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) that parasitize the guts of fish in brackish waters. Timoniella imbutiforme, a species from the Mediterranean Sea, is recorded in the Black Sea, while T. balthica has been described from the Baltic Sea. In this paper, we clarify the taxonomic status of Timoniella populations in the Baltic and Black seas. Adults and metacercariae of Timoniella spp. were sampled from localities in the Mediterranean Sea (France), Black Sea (Ukraine) and Baltic Sea (Germany) and subjected to molecular and morphological analysis, including Bayesian phylogenetic reconstruction based on concatenated sequences of ITS1–ITS2–28S. This allowed us to construct a new key to species of the genus Timoniella. Our results suggest that T. balthica forms part of the Boreal–Atlantic relict fauna of the Black Sea and should now be considered a junior synonym of T. imbutiforme.

A male specimen of Dirofilaria (Nochliella) repens has been recovered from the skin of the right upper arm of a patient from Colombo, Ceylon who manifested signs and symptoms of bancroftian filariasis and had microfilariae in his peripheral blood. This is the second case of Dirofilaria infection reported from man in Ceylon.

Abdominal angiostrongyliasis (AA) is caused by Angiostrongylus costaricensis, which inhabits mesenteric arteries. There is no drug treatment for AA, and since intestinal infarction due to thrombi is one of the main complications of the disease, the use of anticoagulants may be a treatment option. Thus, we aimed to assess the effect of high doses of enoxaparin on the prevention of ischaemic intestinal lesions and on the survival of mice infected with A. costaricensis. Twenty-four mice were infected with L3 of A. costaricensis and divided equally into two groups: Group 1, control treated with placebo, and Group 2, treated daily with enoxaparin (2.5 mg/kg) for 50 days. All mice were subjected to necropsy and histological analysis. The results from gross and microscopic assessments showed no variation in the prevalence of lesions between the groups. An analysis was also performed among survivors and non-survivors, showing that animals that died often presented lesions, such as granulation tissue in the serosa, and intestinal infarction and adhesion. The mortality rate did not vary between the enoxaparin-treated and control groups. Thus, we showed that high doses of enoxaparin have no protective effect against AA, as the survival rates and lesions of mice did not vary between the treated and control groups. Considering that the use of prophylactic doses was also shown to be ineffective in a previous study, we do not recommend the use of enoxaparin for AA treatment.

Soluble extracts of Gigantocotyle explanatum, isolated from the liver of buffalo Bubalus bubalis were fractionated on Sephadex G-200 columns. Nine major fractions referred to as F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8 and F9 were separated. Each fraction was tested by ELISA for antigenicity using sera from G. explanatum-infected field buffaloes. Fractions F1 and F2 were highly antigenic, F3, F4, F6 and F7 were moderately antigenic and F5, F8 and F9 were poorly antigenic. Analyses by SDS–PAGE revealed that each fraction comprised several polypeptide(s) in the molecular weight range of <29 to >205 kDa. Results of Western blotting indicated that not all polypeptides which appeared in the SDS–PAGE were antigenic. The antigenic molecules of each fraction were mostly in the low molecular weight range of <14 to >94 kDa with the polypeptides in the range of >14, 14, 18, 21–25 and 34–36 kDa.

A new species, Belondira bagongshanensis n. sp., extracted from soil under grass in Bagongshan Forest Park, Anhui Province, China, is described and illustrated. The new species is mainly characterized by a body length 1.6–2.1 mm; cephalic framework moderately sclerotized; odontostyle robust with a distinct lumen; anterior part of pharynx with a distinct fusiform swelling, bearing distinct sclerotized valve plates and basal expansion occupying about three-fifths of the total neck length; female genital system mono-opisthodelphic and anterior branch 0.8–1.6 times the corresponding body diameter; tail short and hemispheroid; male spicules 36–49 μm long and two widely spaced ventromedian supplements. The new species is close to B. wajahati, B. golden and B. eugeniae in possessing a short tail, a robust odontostyle with a distinct aperture and a moderately sclerotized cephalic framework. New sequences of 18S rDNA and the D2–D3 region of 28S rDNA of the new species were also identified.

Two methods of setting up axenic cultures of several species of Rhabditinae are described. Both methods depend on the killing and superficial sterilisation of gravid females with a chemcal steriliising agent, and their transferance to an innocuous medium containing antibiotics. The young worms which hatch from the eggs contained in the dead female worms are then collected aseptically. In one method merthiolate is used as a sterilising agent and in the other hydrogen peroxide.

The effectiveness of both methods in freeing the young worms from contaminating micro-organisms has been evaluated by inoculating standard bacteriological culture media with the worms.

Starting with such young worms, bacteria-free cultures have been set up using media previously described by Dougherty and his coworkers for the cultivation of free-living nematodes.

In the body cavity of a female specimen of the fly, Sepsis cynipsea L., (Diptera-Cyclorrhapha), caught at this Institute in August, 1930, the writer found eight adult nematode parasites; 3 females and 5 males. The fly was dissected in Ringer's solution in which the worms became actively motile when set free from the host. At the time of dissection it was seen that the fly's ovaries were in an undeveloped state and there is no doubt that this was due to the presence of the parasites within the body cavity. Beyond noting the fact that the worms seemed to be of a mermithid type they were not investigated further at the time but were fixed in hot 70% glycerine alcohol, to which a trace of Nile Blue sulphate solution was added, and were set aside. Although a good number of the flies were dissected during the month of-August no other example was found to be infected with this species of nematode and, as the worms have not been found again since 1930 in casual specimens of the fly captured and dissected here, it seems desirable to describe them since they appear to be new to science. Structurally they bear some resemblance both to Aproctonema entomophagum Keilin, 1917 and to Tetradonema plicans Cobb, 1919 but differ from these species in several anatomical features. Their systematic relationships are discussed in detail later on.

The interactions between Khawia sinensis (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea), a pathogenic tapeworm of carp, and host leucocytes has been investigated in vitro by monitoring blastogenesis in pronephric, splenic and thymic lymphocytes and apoptosis of pronephric leucocytes. Both parasite homogenate and excretory/secretory (E/S) products were found to suppress lymphocyte blastogenesis at high concentrations (346.6–98.8 μg ml−1) whilstcell stimulation occurred at low concentrations (49.4–19.8 μg ml−1). This differential affect on leucocyte activity may not be associated with apoptosis in vitro as the parasite E/S products did not significantly affect programmed cell death as monitored by acridine orange and DNA analysis. The parasite effect on leucocyte activity is discussed and its relationship to host susceptibility is evaluated.

To test the ability of cells and/or serum from jirds (Meriones unguiculatus) infected with Litomosoides carinii to transfer the ability to retard development of challenge larvae, a series of transfer experiments were done. Groups of jirds received larval challenge preceded by one of eight preparations: spleen cells and/or serum from 10-day-patent infected jirds; normal spleen cells and/or normal serum; primary larvae; challenge larvae only.

No significant differences in size or numbers of larvae recovered were found among groups receiving either cells or serum only. However, significant differences in larval size were found between groups receiving both cells and serum from infected donors and those receiving normal cells and serum. These comparisons indicate that the ability of infected jirds to retard development of challenge infection larvae can be transferred with cells and serum together but not separately.

Of the 1,090 hake, Merluccius merluccius (L.), examined for Aporocotyh spinosicanalis, 323 were infected. Only adult flukes were found and these in the heart and bulbus arteriosus only; this habitat specificity and the apparent strict specificity of the fluke to hake are briefly discussed. The occurrence of from 1 to 5 flukes in each infected fish was common but up to as many as 60 were recorded. The incidence of infection is high in hake from shallow water in some areas to the west of Scotland; a particularly high incidence was found in the Minches and Sea of the Hebrides area. The incidence of infection was very low to the southwest of the British Isles and off Hartlepool in the North Sea; only 1 of 82 fish from these regions was infected. The possible use of A. spinosicanalis as a biological tag is discussed. A significant difference was found in the incidence of infection in hake of different length groups, the most heavily infected being those measuring 26 to 55.9cm.; small hake (25.9 cm. and below in length) from shallow water showed a low incidence of infection. Speculations are made on the possible course of the life-cycle of A. spinosicanalis. There was no significant difference in the distribution of the fluke in male and female fish and no obvious effect on the condition of the host was observed.