All three strains of Neotricula aperta (Gastropoda: Pomatiopsidae) sampled from populations in northeast Thailand were found to be compatible with a Schistosoma mekongi isolate from Kratié District, eastern Cambodia. The infection rates were: 3.0%, α-strain; 6.0%, β-strain; and 20.5%, γ-strain. The greater infectivity to the γ-strain, over both the α- and β-strains, was statistically significant. Comparisons of infectivity patterns for the Kratié isolate, with those described in earlier studies using S. mekongi isolates from southern Laos, revealed differences among the strains. The γ-strain of N. aperta is responsible for endemic transmission of human schistosomiasis in southern Laos and at Kratié. Consequently, the findings of this study are of use in the prediction of changes in the distribution of Mekong schistosomiasis, particularly its introduction to northeast Thailand from the neighbouring countries, Cambodia and Laos.

The prosobranch snail Clypeomorus bifasciata in Kuwait Bay was examined for digenean infections over a one year period during 1994/1995. A total of 1500 snails was examined and 567 (37.8%) were found to harbour nine digenean species. The prevalence of a microphallid species was 33.9% while each of the others occurred in less than 1.2% of the snails. The prevalence of infection increased with shell size. Multiple infections were observed in only five of the infected snails and the microphallid was involved in all of them. Snails were infected with the microphallid throughout the year and there appeared to be two peaks in the proportion of infected snails shedding cercariae, a winter peak from November to January and a summer peak from June to August. The crab Xantho exaratus collected from snail sampling sites was heavily parasitized by microphallid metacercariae of the genera Longiductotrema and Microphallus. This is the first report on microphallid metacercariae in crabs in the Arabian Gulf region.

Sera from patients with clinical characteristics of toxocariasis were assayed using the ELISA method and larval excretory-secretory antigen. Four hundred and seven samples of Toxocara serology were received at the laboratory of ‘Ciudad Sanitaria Juan Canalejo’ Hospital of Corunna, Spain, from 1984 to 1989. Of these, 30 were from adults, 332 from children and 45 from patients of unknown age, resulting in Toxocara seroprevalences of 23.3%, 32.8% and 17.7% respectively. The reasons for these serological differences in the rural and urban areas of Galicia, Spain are discussed.

I was delighted to be able to join with so many friends and colleagues, in writing this short paper to mark the retirement of Donald Lee. There are many outstanding milestones in Donald's career. However, I thought that I could perhaps draw special attention to his long and distinguished association with the British Society for Parasitology (BSP), and the journal, Parasitology. He was President of the BSP between 1978 and 1980 and, in recognition of his service to the Society and contributions to the discipline of parasitology, was elected an Honorary Member in 1980. Donald has also had a long association with Parasitology, as a member of the Editorial Board and as a frequent contributor. His first paper in the journal was published in 1958; it described the occurrence of Syngamus sp. in a fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) that had been accidentally killed. At the time of writing, his most recent publication, but I suspect not his last, was a biochemical study on proteins produced by Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, Nematodims battus and Ascaridia galli (Foster & Lee, 1996). Of course, Donald has published in many other journals and authored several books. However, if one considers only those papers published in Parasitology, they provide a record of intellectual vigour and curiosity that has remained undiminished throughout his career.

Data are presented on the infection dynamics of the brain-dwelling metacercariae of Diplostomum phoxini (Digenea: Trematoda) parasitizing European minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) populations in a lowland river (River Endrick) and a highland loch (Loch Maragan) in central Scotland. Prevalence of the parasite approached 100% in all samples taken from both populations over a 12-month period, and within each population the intensity of infection increased with increasing host fork length. However, the two relationships differed, and size-matched minnows from the Endrick exhibited significantly higher intensities than those from Loch Maragan, suggesting that metacercarial acquisition occurred at different rates in the two populations. Data regarding seasonal trends in the acquisition of D. phoxini indicated that fish in both populations become infected with the parasites mainly during the spring and summer, with negligible infection occurring during winter months. Analysis of size-matched fish from individual samples revealed apparent differences in the distribution of D. phoxini within the two host populations. Whereas D. phoxini metacercariae appeared to be overdispersed amongst length-matched fish from Loch Maragan samples, the parasite was distributed normally amongst fish from the Endrick. Possible reasons for the observed differences in the infection characteristics of D. phoxini in the two minnow populations are discussed, with reference to the parasite's transmission dynamics and local environmental conditions.

COST Action 819: Entomopathogenic nematodes, supercedes Action 812: Cold active lines of insect parasitic nematodes in Agriculture and Biotechnology. It functions in the field of Agriculture and Biotechnology and began in July 1994 and will end in May, 1999. The main objective is to combine interrelated European expertise to increase the use of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) in integrated pest management and to reduce the need for chemical control. Coordination of the Action is the responsibility of a management committee in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding, which has been signed by representatives of 17 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. A research institute in Israel is also participating. Over 40 research institutions and 10 commercial companies participate in Action 819. The EU funding meets the costs related to coordination including the scientific secretariat, workshops, management committee and working group meetings, publications, short term scientific missions and evaluations.

Detoxification mechanisms in parasitic helminths have not been extensively studied, despite their obvious relevance to drug development and drug resistance. Differences in detoxification enzymes between the parasite and its host may be exploitable in the design of pro-drugs, whilst selective inhibition of the parasites protective enzymes could increase their sensitivity to drug action and also make them more susceptible to the host's defence mechanisms.

A comparative study was undertaken between an enzymatic immunohistochemical technique (EIT) developed for the diagnosis of human trichinellosis and the indirect immunofluorescence test (IIF), analysing sera from outbreaks of human trichinellosis in Argentina. The HIT was developed using a biotinylated anti-human gammaglobulin and a preformed macromolecular complex of avidin and biotinylated peroxidase. In both tests, the antigen used consisted of infected rat tissue sections containing muscle larval cysts of Trichinella spiralis. Results showed that the HIT closely correlated with IIP and also allowed diagnosis at an early stage of infection, thus helping to provide effective treatment for the disease. When the test was performed on sera from healthy individuals and those with other parasitic infections, cross-reactions were observed only with sera from patients with toxocariasis (1/8), Chagas' disease (3/17) and four out of 100 healthy individuals. No cross-reactions were observed with sera from patients with toxoplasmosis (0/7) or hydatidosis (0/8). Assay sensitivity was 100% and its specificity 93%. Since it renders no false negative results, BIT is an effective screening tool for detecting infection and should prove to be an important diagnostic technique for trichinellosis in rural areas and for epidemiological surveys.

This study deals with the formation of the metacercarial cysts of four microphallid trematodes, Maritrema subdolum, M. arenaria, Levinseniella brachysoma and Microphallus claviformis. The first observable cyst was present around Maritrema arenaria 18 h p.i. (post-infection). The other species had not developed a cyst by day 8 p.i. but their cysts were apparent by day 16 p.i. These were bi-layered and that of M. subdolum was thicker than those of L. brachysoma and Microphallus claviformis of the same age. The structure of older cysts varied substantially between the four species. Microphallus claviformis and Maritrema subdolum cysts were fully formed at 30 days p.i. Like those of M. arenaria they were bi-layered, the outer layer (up to 3 μm thick) being electron-dense and the inner one (up to 7 μm thick) being less electron-dense. The cysts of fully formed L. brachysoma metacercariae were much more complex, composed of four layers, one of which was divisible into three sub-layers. It was concluded that the outer cyst layer was the product of secretory granules which were previously identified in cercarial tegument. The inner, thicker layer was derived from several sources. These included small tegument vesicles produced over the entire surface of the metacercariae, larger fragments of tegument released from the anterio-ventral region and material liberated from the metacercarial excretory bladder. This heterogeneous material accumulated in the cyst lumen for some time before becoming polymerized to form the thick inner layer or layers of the metacercarial cysts.

An infection experiment was conducted to assess the change in the proportions of Steinernema feltiae Filipjev (Site 76 strain) infective juveniles becoming male or female on exposure to the test host Galleria mellonella L. Using a mathematical model for the infection interaction, the per capita probability of penetration per unit time (transmission coefficient), for those juveniles becoming male or female, and the magnitude of the male and female classes in the infective juvenile pool were estimated. The results show that S. feltiae infective juveniles which subsequently become female have a greater probability of invasion into test hosts than their male counterparts, which leads to markedly female biased sex ratios during the initial stages of the infection interaction. As the infection progresses, however, it was found that the sex ratio became balanced. This was because the underlying sex ratio in the infective stage pool was balanced. The implications of this dynamism in the sex ratio of the entomopathogenic nematodes are discussed with respect to the infection interaction, transmission and the likely environment in which the infective juveniles reside.

The Paragonimus ohirai group, named after P. ohirai Miyazaki, 1939, consists of three nominal species. Paragonimus iloktsuenensis Chen, 1940 and P. sadoensis Miyazaki et al., 1968, the other members of the group, were proposed primarily because of perceived differences in metacercarial morphology and/or host preferences. It has long been recognized that adults of the three were virtually indistinguishable. With the application of genetic techniques, it has become clear that the three forms can exchange genes freely, and that differences in metacercarial morphology constitute a polymorphism probably due to a single gene inherited in Mendelian fashion. Here, additional genetic data (DNA sequences from the second internal transcribed spacer of the nuclear ribosomal gene cluster and from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene) are presented in support of the synonymy.

This paper summarizes the work of the Onchocerciasis Control Programme (OCP) in West Africa, a programme which over a 22 year history has reduced the public health problems of blinding onchocerciasis in eleven countries of West Africa through vector control and, more recently, ivermectin distribution. The paper emphasizes the different approaches to control the programme has developed in the different parts of the programme area which have been determined by the epidemiology of the disease (savanna/forest form), the migratory characteristics of the vectors, intensity of the disease before commencement of treatment, the combined impact of vector control and ivermectin and the likelihood of infiltration of infective blackflies from outside the programme area. The programme has constantly monitored the impact of operations on the trends in prevalence, incidence, annual transmission potential, ocular morbidity and species of fly populations, and as a result, has identified areas where special interventions are required until the programme comes to an end in 2002. The paper illustrates the changes in intensity of infection as measured by community microfilarial load and annual transmission potential over the duration of the programme control activities. The paper also defines and justifies the control strategies in different areas and identifies areas for special interventions.

Monogenean richness of marine fish is highly variable among host families and species. On the basis of 160 fish species selected because their parasite fauna was considered as ‘adequately’ investigated, an attempt was made to find associations between parasite richness and various characters of the hosts. No clear correlation was found with maximal size, although the smallest species (less than 10cm) seem to never harbour monogeneans. Correlations were found with nectonic, migrating and gregarious behaviours. However, taxonomy of fish appears to be extremely important as a determinant of monogenean richness. In the absence of a satisfactory phylogeny of hosts, no attempt was made to control the analysis for phylogeny. However, removing some families characterized by a high parasite richness (sparids, sciaenids, mugilids) shows that the association with gregariousness holds, whereas the others tend to disappear.

The trichostrongyloid nematode Ostertagia nianqingtanggulaensis K'ung & Li, 1965, previously recorded only from sheep in Tibet, is redescribed and is shown to be a common parasite of both sheep and goats at higher altitudes in the Himalayan foothills of western Nepal. Herbage examination indicated that infective larvae can overwinter on snow covered slopes. Use of tracer animals confirmed that migratory flocks are exposed to infection when grazing on alpine pastures during the summer months. In contrast, nearby non-migratory flocks kept at lower altitudes did not harbour O. nianqingtanggulaensis and tracer animals grazed with these flocks did not become infected with this species.

Twelve batches of the mollusc Cernuella (Cernuella) virgata (Mollusca: Helicidae) were deposited monthly directly on faeces containing first-stage larvae of Neostrongylus linearis, so that they were naturally infected. Every two weeks the molluscs were examined to study the larval development of N. linearis. No correlation was found between the number of first-stage larvae of N. linearis on the faeces and the number of total larvae and third-stage larvae which developed in the snails. However, a negative correlation was found between temperature and the days needed to reach the different larval stages. Thus, the molluscs harboured third-stage larvae from mid-spring to mid-autumn, the period of time which carries the greatest risk of infection for the definitive hosts.

Intestinal helminth parasites are responsible for a significant amount of pathology in both humans and farmed animals, resulting in a reduction in the quality of life, and occasionally lethal infection as well as causing decreases in livestock productivity. The importance of these parasites globally has resulted in efforts to understand the mechanisms of the host–parasite interaction epidemiology, and to develop methods for diagnosis and control.

The larval development of Dicrocoelium dendriticum (Digenea: Dicrocoeliidae) in experimentally infected Cernuella (Xeromagna) cespitum arigonis (Schmidt, 1853), a species of mollusc important in the epidemiology of dicrocoeliosis in Spain, has been studied. A total of 948 specimens of this mollusc, distributed in five batches, were tested with individual doses of 50 to 150 parasite eggs, obtained from sheep, after 4 days without food. After infection these molluscs and control specimens were kept in an enviromental simulation chamber at 20°C, 50% relative humidity and 7h of light per day. To detect the parasite, a minimum of six molluscs were examined every 20 days from day 1 post-infection (p.i.). The eggs of D. dendriticum were eliminated in the molluscan faeces 48 h post infection. The percentages of molluscs harbouring the parasite ranged between 17.53% and 75%. Daughter sporocysts with undifferentiated germinal masses and occupying very reduced areas of the hepatopancreas were observed 50 days p.i. and in the period immediately following. After 110 days p.i. sporocysts with cercariae at different stages of development were found although slimeball emission was never observed.

A comparative analysis has been carried out between two populations of Schistosoma haematobium using the same intermediate snail host, Bulinus truncatus, but originating from two distinct ecological areas of Algeria: Khemis-El-Khechna in a sub-humid mediterranean zone and Djanet in a saharan bioclimatic zone. Four parameters have been studied: the growth rate of adult worms, size and shape of the eggs, chronobiology of cercarial emergence and the compatibility with the intermediate host. Results showing divergences for all the characters studied are discussed for the origin of this intraspecific polymorphism of S. haematobium in Algeria.