The levels of nematode egg production in goats and the availability of infective larvae (L3) on pasture were investigated on a dairy unit in New South Wales, Australia. The output of eggs by adult goats was always above 300 epg. The profile of the graph of larval availability in herbage paralleled those for temperature and rainfall, suggesting that larval peaks occurred when the temperature and availability of moisture were optimal. The dominant genus was Trichostrongylus, followed by Haemonchus, then Ostertagia. A larger proportion of Haemonchus larvae in the cultures of faeces were collected during the summer months.

In the spring of 1932, Mr. Otto Schierbeck, Chief Forester for the Province of Nova Scotia, forwarded several Black Ducks (Anas rubripes) which he had collected in a dead or dying condition on the shores of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, to the Animal Diseases Research Institute, Hull, Quebec. Mr. Schierbeck stated that the ducks had arrived there on their northward migratory flight six weeks earlier than usual, and after a period of hardship, had commenced to die in large numbers; and although the popular belief was that starvation was the cause of these deaths, he was not convinced that this was the case, owing to the apparently short period between the first signs of sickness and death.

Eleven artificial infections of oribatid mites of the genusScheloribates with Moniezia expansa eggs were made. The percentage of surviving mites in the infected groups was lower (62 to 82%) than in the uninfected control group (90%). None of oribatids with cysticercoids in their body cavity contained mite eggs. The established prevalence and average cysticercoid number in surviving mites were 50.00 to 95.12% and 1.3 to 2.8 respectively.

The metacestodes of Taenia crassiceps removed from a stock infection of Sprague Dawley rats were injected into seven inbred and one outbred strain of rats. The results showed that over-all female rats are more susceptible to the infection than male rats. Only one strain of rat, the Lewis male rats, was found to be resistant to the infection. There was no significant difference in the volume of metacestodes recovered from the male and female rats. The sizes of the metacestodes, after two passages through the rats, were compared to those of the original mouse strain and it was found that metacestodes from two strains of rats were significantly smaller. The antigenic expression of the metacestodes from the different strains of rats was compared and some variation in the antigenicity was observed.

The known filaricides, suramin and diethylcarbamazine citrate, were tested against subperiodic Brugia malayi infection in the leaf-monkey, Presbytis cristata. As expected, intravenous suramin at 10 mg/kg daily × 5 days or 17 mg/kg weekly × 5 weeks, did not show any microfilaricidal activity, but substantially reduced the recovery of live adult worms to 50·6% and 13·6% of controls respectively. Oral diethylcarbamazine citrate at 6 mg/kg daily × 6 or 10 days reduced final microfilarial counts to 30% of initial counts four weeks post-treatment and adult worm recovery was reduced to 4·5% and 0% of controls respectively. Although the antifilarial activity of these drugs against the infection in this non-human primate model appears to be similar to that seen in man, these results have to be confirmed using larger groups of animals.

A new member of the genus Trichostrongylus Looss, 1905, was collected by the writer from the gastric stomach (abomasum) and the duodenum of an old eland bull in 1981. The animal was shot at a spot amongst the Nega Nega Hills to the east of the Great North Motor Road in the Mazabuka Provincial District.

Eight males and twelve females were collected from the pyloric end of the abomasum which also harboured a large number of Haemonchus mitchelli LeRoux, 1929, and a few specimens of Ostertagia circumcincta (Stadelmann, 1894). Two more males and four females of the new species were encountered amongst a large number of Cooperia spp. including Cooperia neitzi, Mönnig, 1981.

Cooperia is the most prevalent helminth parasitizing calves in Brazil. Three species of this genus occur most often: C. punctata, C. pectinata and C. oncophora. Six calves from dairy farms in the south of the State of Minas Gerais aged six to 15 months were killed and necropsied each month over a period of two years. The Cooperia species were identified, counted, and the numbers related to the calves' age. The worm burdens due to the three species of Cooperia were statistically different. C. punctata was the most prevalent species and had a positive correlation with the age of the calves; C. pectinata appeared with lower intensity but was always present, and C. oncophora was not found in calves older than 11 months. These results show the existence of different degrees of resistance to Cooperia species among calves as the three species did not behave similarly. It seems to be an acquired resistance. C. punctata appears to be less immunogenic than C. pectinata and C. oncophora. As C. punctata and C. pectinata are more pathogenic than C. oncophora, it seems that this pathogenicity can be related to immunogenic aspects associated with the species.

Anisakis simplex larvae were cultured in vitro in medium containing 35-methionine for ten days. The medium and the larval tissues were analysed for biosynthetically labelled polypeptide by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. Immunoprecipitates with positive and negative human antisera were similarly analysed, using Staphylococcus aureus to absorb immunocomplexes. ES products of Anisakis larvae contained many polypeptides with molecular weights of less than 200 K. 180 KDa and 40 KDa polypeptides in ES products reacted with IgG in Anisakis-infected human sera. Somatic extracts also contained many polypeptides with molecular weights of less than 200 K. One of these polypeptides with a molecular weight of 130 K reacted with IgG in Anisakis-infected human sera. These polypeptides did not react with other nematode-infected human sera.

In the desert city of Beersheba, Israel, a survey was made of the infection rate of Toxocara canis in dogs. 3.0% of dogs destroyed at the municipal dog pound had intestinal T. canis. 7% of faecal samples gathered from day care centres throughout the city were shown to contain T. canis eggs. This low rate of infection could possibly be explained by the hot, arid climatic conditions which may render eggs non-infective or by the sandy soil in the area that may cover faeces containing T. canis ova and make the eggs unavailable to other dogs.

Through the generous co-operation of the British Antarctic Survey twelve Sheathbills were collected in April, 1967 at Signy Island, preserved in deep freeze, and made available to us for parasitological examination. Five of the Sheathbills were found to be infected with a new species of notocotylid trematode, namely Paramonostomum signiensis n.sp., which is described below and considered in relation to other species of Paramonostomum Lühe, 1909.

During the latter half of 1930 and the beginning of the present year some miscellaneous experiments on Ascaris in pigs were carried out at the Institute of Agricultural Parasitology by Professor Leiper and myself. Although these experiments were of a preliminary nature it was thought that some of the observations made during their course might be of interest to other workers in this field and they are, therefore, placed on record.

While examining diseased sugar beet roots at the Brigg Factory of the British Sugar Corporation, Ltd., in 1936, several roots were found which were affected by the eelworm Anguillulina dipsaci (Kühn). This identification was kindly confirmed by Dr. T. Goodey.

Administration to rats of tetramisole loaded into zeolite was more successful in killing adults of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis than the administration of tetramisole alone. The most successful treatment occurred in SPF (Specific Pathogen Free) rats dosed with tetramisole loaded into zeolite and no worms were present in this group at autopsy eight days post-infection. It is concluded that the slow release of drug from the zeolite matrix improved its efficacy, especially in removing worms from low-grade infections.

Mel W is a second generation anionic organic arsenical which is filaricidal but has sporadic and unacceptable lethal side effects. Eight new cationic derivatives have now been synthesized in an attempt to avoid the side effects and have been examined for their effects upon adult Brugia pahangi in Meriones unguiculatus. They were all shown to be potent filaricides and the two best compounds, Mel Ga and Mel Cy, were at least 95% effective in killing adult B. pahangi at 5x3–13 mg/kg when injected subcutaneously.

Two cases of intestinal obstruction due to Ascaris lumbricoides infection are reported from Ishaka Adventist Hospital, in south western Uganda. One was a male aged two and a half years and another was a female aged twenty. They were both treated surgically with good results. A review of the literature also revealed that intestinal obstruction due to A. lumbricoides is a common complication, though other surgical and nutritional complications also seem to be common, they are less reported.

Representatives of the ‘Lophocercous’ group are recorded from Britain for the first time. Two new species are described and a summary of the classification of this group is discussed.

Helminths from wild animals are from time to time submitted to Onderstepoort for identification and comment. Among this material are two lots of worms from carnivores which are of particular interest. One lot contains an undescribed Rictularia sp. from a Genet which is remarkable for the number of worms, over 30, collected from a single host; as a rule the number of Rictularias collected from an individual animal is very limited consisting of no more than three or four specimens and then usually only females are present. The other lot from a mongoose is of interest because of the location of the worms—liver—and their number—about 60; this parasite also appears to be new to science.

In the microscopic examination of plant-parasitic and free-living nematodes it frequently happens that certain anatomical details stand out clearly whilst others remain obscure. Later examination of further examples of the same species, perhaps from a different source or at another season of the year, may reveal some of the previously obscure details with the result that structures which up to that time had been difficult to elucidate, are now seen distinctly in relation to their surroundings.

The cuticle is transversely striated in the region of the head vesicle and shows some longitudinal striations about (0·10 apart. The configuration of the rudimentary mouth capsule and the other head structures are as in the other species of the genus. The length of the head vesicle is 0·082–0·102 and its maximum breadth 0·043–0·055 (Fig. 1.). The oesophagus is 0-371-0-520 long and 0·031–0·043 wide. The nerve ring is situated 0·293–0·313 from the anterior end and the excretory pore is located at the level of the end of the oesophagus or at a short distance in front of it.