The nematode Anisakis simplex causes anisakidiasis, a disease that often mimics other gastrointestinal diseases. Patients with digestive haemorrhaging, Crohn's disease, digestive cancer and appendicitis were analysed for antibodies to A. simplex. Antibody detection was carried out by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting using crude extract (CE) antigen and excretory-secretory (ES) products. Total immunoglobulin (Igs), IgG, IgM, IgA and IgE were studied. The highest percentage was obtained when Igs were tested against CE antigen. A higher percentage of positivity was observed with the appendicitis group. The Crohn's disease group showed the highest levels of IgG against the ES antigen. Using immunoblotting, 24% and 48% of sera from patients with symptoms of Crohn's disease and digestive haemorrhaging, respectively, showed a positive immunorecognition pattern of CE antigen. The prevalence of detectable antibodies against A. simplex is higher in patients with digestive disorders than in the healthy population. A linear correlation was observed between prothrombin activity and Igs-CE, IgA-CE and IgA-ES but not between IgE-CE and the other immunoglobulin levels. Specific IgA is associated with a higher activity index of Crohn's disease. Specific antibodies were observed against A. simplex in patients with appendicitis and gastrointestinal cancer, indicating a higher rate of positivity for IgA.

The effect of acanthocephalan parasites (profilicollis spp.) on the hiding behaviour during low tide of two species of shore crabs (intermediate hosts), Macrophthalmus hirtipes (Brachyura: Ocypodidae) and Hemigrapsus crenulatus (Brachyura: Grapsidae), was examined at Blueskin Bay, South Island, New Zealand. Exposed M. hirtipes were found to have significantly higher infection levels than did hidden conspecifics. This pattern was not observed for H. crenulatus. Mean cystacanth numbers were found to be considerably higher in M. hirtipes than H. crenulatus. Crabs exposed at low tide are at a greater risk of predation by definitive shorebird hosts than are hidden conspecifics. Preferential manipulation of one intermediate host species over another could influence diversity within ecosystems.

Confusion exists over the species status and host-specificity of the tapeworm Rodentolepis (= Hymenolepis) nana. It has been described as one species, R. nana, found in both humans and rodents. Others have identified a subspecies; R. nana var. fraterna, describing it as morphologically identical to the human form but only found in rodents. The species present in Australian communities has never been identified with certainty. Fifty one human isolates of Rodentolepis (= Hymenolepis) nana were orally inoculated into Swiss Q, BALB/c, A/J, CBA/CAH and nude (hypothymic) BALB/c mice, Fischer 344 and Wistar rats and specific pathogen free (SPF) hamsters. Twenty four human isolates of R. nana were cross-tested in flour beetles, Tribolium confusum. No adult worms were obtained from mice, rats or hamsters, even when immunosuppressed with cortisone acetate. Only one of the 24 samples developed to the cysticercoid stage in T. confusum; however, when inoculated into laboratory mice the cysticercoids failed to develop into adult worms. The large sample size used in this study, and the range of techniques employed for extraction and preparation of eggs provide a comprehensive test of the hypothesis that the human strain of R. nana is essentially non-infective to rodents.

The success of ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) restocking in Asturias, northern Spain was assessed, and the role of parasites and predators in the mortality of released birds was studied. The experimental release of 56 radio-tagged pheasants showed that 98% of birds died within 12 days. As soon as 72 h after release, 67.5% of males and 55.0% of females were found dead. Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) killed 63% of the birds. The survival of those birds killed by foxes was lower than for birds which died due to other causes, and pheasants depositing eggs of the nematode Eucoleus contortus (Creplin, 1839) survived less than those apparently non-parasitized. No impact of the parasite on the pheasants' condition was found, but foxes preyed upon parasitized birds more than expected by random. The results suggest that: (i) the current pheasant releases in this area are unsuccessful and need to be improved; (ii) this is mainly due to intense predation by red foxes; and (iii) parasites could have some influence on the predation of released birds by foxes. However, the way parasites affect pheasant vulnerability remains unclear.

The occurrence, location and sex ratio of Corynosoma strumosum (Acanthoceophala: Polymorphidae) from 26 juvenile grey seals, Halichoerus grypus, by-caught from around the Inishkea Islands, Co. Mayo, from March to June 1997 were recorded. The location of C. strumosum within the seal did not vary, with all worms being found in the small intestine. The prevalence of infection was 100%, with no other acanthocephalan species being recorded. The mean abundance was 416 (range 80–846) C. strumosum per seal. There was no significant change in abundance by month. The sex ratio of mature female to mature male parasites was 1.2:1. The lengths of female and male worms did not differ significantly.

Aminopeptidase activities were detected in extracts of the free-living nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans and Panagrellus redivivus using the aminoacyl substrate L-alanine-4-nitroanilide. The activities exhibited similarities in Km (C. elegans = 2.22 mM; P. REDIVIVUS = 2.09 Mm) and specific activity (C. elegans=1.38±0.43 mAU min-1 μg-1; P. redivivus, 1.23±0.18 mAU min-1 μg-1). Each is inhibited competitively by amastatin (C. elegans IC50=0.46 μm; P. redivivus IC50=15.90 μm) and non-competitively by leuhistin (C. elegans IC50=3.00 μm; P. redivivus IC50=37.35 μm). The bioactive peptides adipokinetic hormone and substance P decrease the apparent aminopeptidase activities of each extract suggesting that the peptides compete with the Ala-pNA as substrates. With each extract, adipokinetic hormone appeared to be the more effective substrate. Digestion of adipokinetic hormone by C. elegans and P. redivivus extracts in the presence and absence of 1 mm amastatin produced distinct chromatographic profiles that suggest different digestion patterns for the two species. However, amastatin had clear effects on chromatographic profiles from each species indicating that an aminopeptidase is involved in the digestion of the peptide substrates. The data presented indicate that extracts of free-living nematodes are capable of metabolizing peptide hormones, and that this metabolism involves substrate-selective aminopeptidases.

The bird nasal schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti is a new agent of cercarial dermatitis. Cercariae are able to penetrate the skin of birds and mammals including man. The parasite then attacks the central nervous system. The present study has shown that schistosomula avoid penetration of blood capillaries and enter the peripheral nerves of the legs of mice and ducks as early as 1 day post-infection (p.i.) and 1.5 days p.i., respectively. These peripheral nerves are used as a route to the spinal cord. In the specific host (duck) schistosomula were found in the spinal cord from 2 days p.i. until 15 days p.i. and in the brain from 12 days p.i. until 18 days p.i. In non-specific hosts (mice; inbred strains BALB/c, hr/hr, SCID) living schistosomula were found in the spinal cord from 2 days p.i. until 21 or 24 days p.i. (depending on the mouse strain) and in the brain of two (BALB/c, SCID) of three inbred strains from 3 days p.i. until 24 days p.i. No correlation was found between the infection dose and clinical status of the experimental hosts. A high affinity of schistosomula for the peripheral nerves was also proved in vitro, suggesting a new type of migratory behaviour in schistosomatids.

The effect of treatment with praziquantel (PZQ) on the tegument of adult Schistosoma mansoni worms and on liver egg-granulomas has been examined in mice infected with PZQ-resistant and -susceptible parasite isolates. Two PZQ-resistant S. mansoni isolates, one selected by passage in the laboratory under drug pressure and one from Senegal established from eggs excreted by an uncured patient, were compared with PZQ-susceptible control isolates. Scanning electron microscopic observations on the tegument of Schistosoma adult worms treated in vivo with PZQ showed that more severe damage was inflicted by PZQ on susceptible worms than on drug-resistant worms. Observations on the pathology of Schistosoma egg-granulomas in the liver of infected mice after treatment with PZQ indicated that eggs from susceptible control isolates were more sensitive to PZQ than those from drug-resistant isolates.

The course of infection of 2-year-old ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus L.) from the Oder River (Germany/Poland) with third-stage larvae (L3) of Anguillicola crassus (Nematoda: Anguillicolidae) was investigated at monthly intervals between March 1994 and March 1995. Of 230 fish examined, 152 (66%) harboured viable L3. Monthly prevalences fluctuated between 12 and 96%; mean intensities ranged from 1.0 to 5.6 L3 per infected fish. Temperature-dependent differences in infection were noted with the prevalence and mean intensity of infection being significantly higher (Chi-Square test and Mann-Whitney-U-test, respectively; P<0.01) at water temperatures less than 10°C (cold period) than at those above (warm period). These differences remained significant even after the division of fish samples into two size classes (8.5–10.5 cm, 11–13 cm). Although the paratenic hosts may acquire infections year round, the results suggest that ruffe become infected mainly during the cold season and that the host's feeding ecology determines the final course of infection.

The ultrastructure of the dorsal oesophageal gland ampulla and its relationship with the oesophagus, oesophageal ultrastructure, and control mechanisms in oesophageal activity were studied. Terminal ducts of the sub-ventral glands open through the oesophageal crown at the base of the buccal cavity. The terminal duct of the dorsal oesophageal gland running through the dorsal gutter opens to the exterior at the rim ‘groove’ of the buccal capsule. The posterior oesophageal region is clavate and the cuticle of the lumen folds to form outlet valves, ‘valvulae’. An inconspicuous oesophago-intestinal valve (three lobes) connects oesophagus and intestine and is visualized in the open and shut position. In the female reproductive tract, with the exception of the uterus, the cells lie on a thick, irregular (convoluted) basal lamina. The apical plasma membrane of the uterus, and seminal receptacle, extend into the lumen by microvilli-like projections with which spermatozoa make intimate contact. The lumen of the uterus is filled with oocytes, fertilized and unfertilized. Testicular cells have two parts linked by a rachis. Spermatocytes are elongated with a large nucleus, distinct nuclear membrane, and many granules. The apical membrane of the rachis forms long microvilli-like projections with balloon-like tips. The amoeboid spermatozoa contain membrane specializations, a nucleus devoid of a membrane, and are enclosed by a pseudopodial-like extension.

Thirty-four house geckoes (21 Cosymbotus platyurus, four Gehyra mutilata and nine Hemidactylus frenatus) in December, 1997 (rainy season) and 26 geckos (16 C. platyurus, six G. mutilata and four H. frenatus) in July, 2000 (dry season) were captured in Lampung, Indonesia. Some species of geckoes have been inadvertently introduced to many tropical regions from their native region, but the three species of geckoes in this study are native to Indonesia. Six species of endoparasites were recovered: Oochoristica javanensis (Cestoda) from the small intestine, Paradistomum geckonum (Digenea) from the small intestine and gallbladder, Postorchigenes ovatus (Digenea) from the small intestine, Spauligodon hemidactylus (Nematoda) from the large intestine, and Raillietiella gehyra and R. frenatus (Pentastomida) from the lungs. The prevalence and mean intensity of infection in each species of geckoes are also presented. The prevalence of S. hemidactylus from C. platyurus and H. frenatus in the rainy season was significantly higher than in the dry season. The low prevalence of S. hemidactylus in G. mutilata in the present study corresponded to a previous report from a non-native area. According to the original description, the male of S. hemidactylus lacked a spicule, but in the present study, one male was found with a spicule. The present study suggests male dimorphism occurs in Spauligodon. The number of endoparasite species and snout vent length of geckoes were positively correlated. Geckoes with high worm burdens may be more easily captured by predators.

A prospective multicentric study was carried out to assess both the performance of Western-blot (WB) detecting specific anti-Toxocara IgG and that of CAP™ measuring specific IgE titre for the immunodiagnosis of ocular toxocariasis. For 14 outpatients presenting ophthalmic symptoms (choroiditis, chorioretinitis, papillar oedema, hyalitis, retinal detachment and/or uveitis), samples of serum and aqueous fluid (AF) were sent to the Department of Parasitology, University Hospitals, Toulouse, France. All patients but two tested positive with WB on the serum; 13 WB tests were performed on the AF, 12 of which were positive. The two patients who had a negative WB serum result tested positive for the AF. Specific IgE detection was considered as a complementary test of WB. Two patients showed a greater specific IgE titre in the AF than in the serum, and one had a positive result in the AF, but not in the serum. These six patients were considered as clear cases of ocular toxocariasis. Western-blot coupled with specific anti-Toxocara IgE detection appeared therefore to be an accurate procedure for the immunodiagnosis of ocular toxocariasis, provided the testing was simultaneously performed on the serum and AF.

The toxicity of cadmium, zinc and Cd/Zn mixtures to the transmission of Echinoparyphium recurvatum (Digenea: Echinostomatidae) cercariae into the snail second intermediate hosts was investigated at concentrations ranging from 100 μg l-1 to 10 000 μg l-1 in both soft and hard water. A differential response in the infectivity of metal-exposed cercariae into Lymnaea peregra and Physa fontinalis was demonstrated which was dependent on the snail species being infected. Exposure of L. peregra, P. fontinalis, and L. stagnalis to heavy metals caused a differing susceptibility to E. recurvatum cercariae depending on the snail species being exposed. The mechanism and effects of metal toxicity, together with the importance of the parasite/host strain on cercarial transmission are discussed.

The bioactivity of an ethyl acetate extract of ginger (Zingiber officinale) towards Schistosoma mansoni adult pairs, both cultured in vitro and in vivo in laboratory mice, was investigated by monitoring worm mortality and fecundity. In vitro, a concentration of 200 mg l-1 of extract killed almost all worms within 24 h. Male worms seemed more susceptible than female under these conditions. Cumulative egg output of surviving worm pairs in vitro was considerably reduced when exposed to the extract. For example, after 4 days of exposure to 50 mg l-1, cumulative egg output was only 0.38 eggs per worm pair compared with 36.35 for untreated worms. In vivo efficacy of the extract was tested by oral and subcutaneous delivery of 150 mg kg-1 followed by assessment of worm survival and fecundity. Neither delivery route produced any significant reduction in worm numbers compared with untreated controls. Worm fecundity was assessed in vivo by cumulative egg counts per liver at 55 days post infection with mice treated subcutaneously. Such infections showed egg levels in the liver of about 2000 eggs per worm pair in 55 days, in both treated and control mice, with no significant difference between the two groups. To ensure that density-dependent effects did not confound this analysis, a separate experiment demonstrated no such influence on egg output per worm pair, at intensities between 1 and 23 worms per mouse.

The effects of environmental factors and exudates from the amphipod Corophium volutator on the emergence of Maritrema subdolum cercariae (Digenea: Microphallidae) from the snail Hydrobia ulvae were investigated in the laboratory. Increasing the temperature (15 to 25°C) caused an overall 11-fold increase in emergence rate under varying salinities (24 to 36‰). The effect of salinity depended on the experimental temperature. Emergence increased with increasing salinity at higher temperatures, but decreased with increasing salinity at 15°C.Whereas the different levels of salinity had no effect, increasing the temperature significantly reduced the life span of cercariae. In comparison with complete darkness, light caused a two-fold increase in emergence, whereas an increment of the water pressure from 1.0 to 1.3 ATM (corresponding to 0 and 3 m of depth) left the shedding rate unaffected. Unidentified exudates from the second intermediate host, C. volutator, significantly depressed the cercarial emergence rate. The main transmission window of M. subdolum seems to occur during low water in tidal pools where light levels are high and solar radiation rapidly elevates the water temperature, as well as salinity through evaporation. The consequence of such a transmission strategy is discussed in relation to the impact of M. subdolum on the population dynamics of the second intermediate host.

The effects of interferon (IFN) γ on the course of infection with Strongyloides papillosus in calves were investigated. Calves (N=7 each) were inoculated with recombinant bovine IFNγ or control solution daily from day 0 to day 15 following S. papillosus infection. Treatment with IFNγ induced an increase in faecal egg output in the peak stage of infection. The IFNγ-treated animals harboured more worms, especially more immature worms, in the small intestine than control animals at necropsy on day 17, with no decreases in intestinal mucosal mast cells. Both animal groups had similar small numbers of intestinal worms at necropsy on day 26. All control animals developed peripheral blood eosinophilia on day 7, while five of seven IFNγ-treated animals did not. Serum α1-acid glycoprotein concentrations increased on day 7 in both animal groups, with higher values in control animals than in IFNγ-treated animals. Control animals mounted a predominant IgG1 response to S. papillosus from day 10, while IFNγ-treated animals did from day 22. These data suggested that IFNγ inhibited some host protective responses to S. papillosus migrating larvae, resulting in an improvement of worm survival after a period when protective responses should be activated during the early stage of infection. The effects of IFNγ on intestinal worm expulsion should be confirmed by further experiments.

The release of Maritrema subdolum cercariae (Digenea: Microphallidae) from the marine mud snail Hydrobia ulvae is significantly affected by temperature, salinity, light and exudates from the second intermediate amphipod host. Based on (i) previously published data on temperature–salinity dependent H. ulvae activity, (ii) new experimental data on H. ulvae activity in light and darkness as well as in the presence and absence of host exudates, and (iii) the cercarial emergence rate from free moving snails and snails prevented from crawling, the present analysis indicates that emergence of M. subdolum larvae is regulated mainly by host activity as the ultimate factor for release. The adaptive significance of such an emergence strategy is emphasized.

Inequality in body sizes is a common feature in populations of helminth parasites, with potential consequences for egg production and population genetics. Inequalities in body lengths and the effects of intraspecific competition on worm length were studied in a species of mermithid nematode parasitic in the crustacean Talorchestia quoyana (Amphipoda: Talitridae). The majority of the 753 worms recovered were relatively small, and an analysis using a Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient suggested that there were no marked inequalities in body lengths among the worms. Total worm length in the 356 infected amphipods (i.e. the sum of the lengths of all the worms in a host) increased steadily as a function of the number of worms per amphipod, whereas the length of the longest worm per amphipod peaked in amphipods harbouring intermediate numbers of worms. This last result was not significantly accounted for by the observed increase in host size with increasing intensity of infection, but resulted from a correlation between worm length and host size. As the number of worms per amphipod increased, the relative sizes of the second-, third-, and fourth-longest worms per host increased markedly. This means that relative inequalities in sizes become less pronounced, i.e. subordinate worms get closer in size to the longest worm, as the number of worms per host increases. The main consequence of this phenomenon is that worm sizes in the mermithid population are more homogeneous than they would be if intraspecific competition had stronger effects on worm growth.

A comparative study has been made of the haptoral morphology of four species of diplozoon (Monogenea: Diplozoidae) from the gills of fish exposed to different levels of water pollution in two river systems in eastern Europe. An examination of the haptors of Paradiplozoon homoion (Bychowsky & Nagibina 1959), Paradiplozoon ergensi (Pejčoch 1968) and Paradiplozoon megan (Bychowsky & Nagibina 1959) from chub caught in the River Morava, Czech Republic and of Diplozoon paradoxum (Nordmann 1832) from bream recovered from the River Volga, Russia has revealed abnormalities to the attachment clamps. Two abnormal conditions were found: structural alterations to the attachment clamps and changes in the number of attachment clamps; these occurred both singly and in combination. A higher frequency of abnormal attachment clamps was found in diplozoons from fish caught in the more polluted localities of both rivers. The abnormalities have been recorded and their morphology compared in the light of conditions of environmental stress.

A novel excretory–secretory (ES) protein of Trichinella pseudospiralis was produced. A cDNA library was constructed from mRNA of muscle larvae at 30 days post infection (p.i.) and immunoscreened with the antibody against ES products. A clone, designated Tp22-3, contained a cDNA transcript of 815 bp in length with a single open reading frame which encoded 244-amino acids (28407 Da in the estimated molecular mass). A database search revealed that no sequences had a homology to this predicted protein. The recombinant protein was produced in an Escherichia coli expression system. Stage specific expression of this protein was suggested from the following experiments. An antibody against the recombinant protein could stain proteins migrating at about 28 kDa (which is the expected size from the sequence) on Western blotting of crude extracts or ES products from 30 days p.i. muscle larvae, but failed to stain any proteins in crude extracts from newborn larvae or 15 days p.i. muscle larvae. The antibody reacted to the stichocytes of larvae at 30 days p.i., but did not react to 15 days p.i. muscle larvae. The production of an mRNA transcript for Tp22-3 gene was restricted largely to the 30 days p.i. muscle larvae and adult worms.