Eupolystoma anterorchis Tinsley, 1978, infects the urinary bladder of Bufo pardalis at the Cape, South Africa. Reproduction occurs throughout the year but the eggs are not deposited continuously: up to 300 are retained in the long uterus of the parasite and may develop to the point of hatching. The eggs are deposited intermittently en masse. The stimulus for deposition appeared to be osmotic, since worms transferred from the host's bladder into freshwater released their stored eggs. However, in simple experiments where hosts were transferred from dry land to water such egg deposition did not follow and the stimulus requires further investigation. Once discharged from the uterus the oncomiracidia hatch rapidly both in water and in host urine. Those eggs immediately expelled from the bladder at urination release larvae which can infect the same or other host individuals via the cloaca. But when eggs are deposited in the bladder between successive host urinations larvae can emerge and attach themselves directly to the bladder wall. These larvae develop to maturity alongside their parents, and this internal re-infection can give rise to massive levels of infestation. The distributions of the tegumental ciliated cells and sensillae of the oncomiracidium have been determined with silver impregnation. There are 55 ciliated cells whose pattern corresponds with that of Polystoma species except for the orientation of three dorsal cephalic cells. The distributions of their tegumental sensillae show greater divergence and the Eupolystoma larva lacks the hamulus primordia typical of Polystoma.

A morphological and histochemical study has been made of atresia in oocytes in the ovarian balls of an acanthocephalan (Centrorhynchus corvi). Growing oocytes and mature oocytes have been observed to undergo atresia. With the start of atresia, the nuclear and cytoplasmic components are observed to be greatly altered. The atretic oocytes develop abnormal aggregations of cell components, which contain proteins, phospholipids and lipoproteins. It is suggested that the cellular products of degenerating oocytes are gradually absorbed by the supporting syncytium. The atresia of growing oocytes is greater in uninseminated than in inseminated females, which indicates that in the absence of a mating stimulus atresia occurs more frequently.

Aspects of the ovicidal activity of the fungus Verticillium chlamydosporium Goddard on the eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides were observed in the laboratory using a scanning electron microscope. The hyphae of the fungus form structures which are considered to be penetration organs. The hyphae also form a network over the surface of the eggs. After penetration of the eggs, the hypha or hyphae ramify and the embryos are destroyed.

The unlabelled antibody method was used in the ultrastructural localization of two hydatid fluid antigens, antigen 5 and antigen B, in brood capsules and protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus and E. multilocularis. Antigen 5 was found in the parenchyma cells of the protoscolex and brood capsule wall and to a lesser extent in the walls of the flame cells and collecting ducts of the excretory system and in the surrounding interstitial material. It is suggested that, while some excretion of this antigen may occur from the protoscolex, it could also be liberated into the cystic cavity by degeneration of protoscoleces and parenchymal cells of the brood capsule wall. Antigen B was found mainly in the distal cytoplasm and perinuclear cytoplasm of the tegument anterior to the suckers. It is apparently secreted to the outside and was present in the brood capsule contents; it adheres to the anterior surface and the posterior periodic acid–Schiff (PAS)-positive glycocalyx of the protoscolex and to the inner surface of the brood capsule wall. The protoscolex tegument posterior to the suckers was negative. The parenchyma cells of the protoscolex and brood capsule wall were also positive although the intensity of the reaction product was variable.

Virgin females of Brugia malayi, B. pahangi and B. patei were mated with males of species other than their own to determine whether they would hybridize. Microfilariae were produced in all but one cross (that between B. pahangi males and B. malayi females). Hybrid infective larvae, produced in mosquitoes and inoculated intraperitoneally into jirds, grew to adults but these were unable to produce microfilariae because hybrid males did not produce spermatozoa. Hybrid females were fertile and produced microfilariae when crossed with males of their parental species.

The possible existence of strain and breed differences in the response of sheep to primary infections with Haemonchus contortus was examined by comparing the establishment and pathogenic effects of the parasite in Scottish Blackface and Finn Dorset sheep grouped according to haemoglobin type and infected with 7–10000 3rd-stage larvae. Homozygous haemoglobin A-type sheep of both breeds had lower worm burdens and faecal egg outputs, and suffered less severe clinical and pathophysiological disturbances than animals homozygous for haemoglobin B. In addition, Scottish Blackface sheep displayed similar advantages over Finn Dorsets with the same haemoglobin type and variations in the severity of the disease as judged by a variety of pathophysiological indices correlated closely with parasite numbers. It was therefore concluded that genetic resistance operated primarily against worm establishment and that, barring the unlikely involvement of non-specific physiological factors, this was controlled by the immune response elicited. The nature of this response is unknown, but appeared to operate only against the larval stages, since the size and metabolic activities of the surviving worms were similar in all animals. In a subsequent experiment, designed to examine the response of Scottish Blackface sheep to heavy infection (45000 larvae), there was no correlation between worm establishment and haemoglobin type. This was possibly due to a delayed immune response arising from exposure to excessive amounts of antigen.

The influence of genetic factors on acquired resistance to Haemonchus contortus infections in sheep was investigated. Animals whose primary infections were terminated with an anthelmintic failed to develop any immunity against subsequent challenge as judged by worm numbers. Nevertheless, all were better able to retard the development and reduce the fecundity and haematophagic activities of their parasite populations than animals undergoing primary infections. High levels of resistance, as judged by all these parameters, were observed in most animals when the challenge larvae were superimposed on existing worm populations. The patterns of worm establishment and disease indicated that genetic factors operated in determining resistance, since fewer worms became established and less severe clinical and pathophysiological changes were observed in Scottish Blackface than in Finn Dorset sheep with the same haemoglobin type. Similar advantages were displayed by animals with haemoglobin AA and to a lesser extent those with haemoglobin AB over haemoglobin BB types. The importance of breed was further indicated by the occurrence of ‘self-cure’ in the majority of the Scottish Blackfaces but in only one Finn Dorset. There was no evidence that this reaction was associated with haemoglobin type.

The number of cercariae of Transversotrema patialense which attach to the fish host Brachydanio rerio, during a fixed exposure period, is shown to be directly proportional to cercarial density within an experimental infection arena. The distribution of successful infections/host is shown to change from a random pattern to an over-dispersed form as cercarial exposure density or duration of host exposure to infection increases. A stochastic simulation model is used to demonstrate that small differences in host susceptibility to infection, within a population of hosts, can generate patterns of dispersion in parasite numbers/host similar to those observed in the experimental studies. Differences in host behaviour, during the period of exposure to infection, are thought to generate variability in host susceptibility to cercarial infection.

The essential biological features of snail infection by miracidia are incorporated into a simple model which describes the rate of change with respect to time of the number of miracidial infections/host. The model is based on the assumption that the net rate of infection is directly proportional to the density of both miracidia and hosts. Empirical evidence is provided to support this assumption. The basic framework of the model is expanded to take into account demographic stochasticity in infection and is used to predict the percentage of snails that become infected after exposure to a known number of miracidia for a set period of time. The influence of miracidial mortalities and age-dependent infectivity are examined and theoretical predictions are compared with a range of experimental results.

Underlying heterogeneity in the distribution of the number of infections/snail is shown to generate an artifactual decrease in infection rates as exposure density rises, if rate estimation procedures are based on an assumption of randomness. Empirical evidence is presented to illustrate the generation of over-dispersion in the number of miracidial infections/snail under tightly controlled laboratory conditions, using supposedly homogeneous snail populations.

Biological causes for underlying patterns of heterogeneity are discussed in relation to snail susceptibility to infection and ‘attractiveness’ to infective stages.

Artificially transformed schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni develop a consistent but small protection against the lethal effects of antibody plus complement when cultured for 24 h in a chemically defined medium. In contrast, they become rapidly resistant to antibody plus complement, when cultured in the presence of a complex medium consisting of equal parts of heat-inactivated rabbit serum and Earle's/lactalbumin or in defined medium supplemented with small amounts of heat-inactivated rabbit serum. Sephadex G-200 gel filtration revealed that the protective factor in rabbit serum is a macromolecule with a molecular weight between 7 and 19S. Parasites cultured at 10 °C or in the presence of 200 μg of puromycin show less serum-induced protection against the lethal effects of antibody plus complement than do controls.

The thiamine antagonist beclotiamine showed anticoccidial activity against Eimeria tenella, although metabolites and related substances were inactive. Oocyst production in experiments employing unilateral caecal ligation suggested that the drug reached parasitized cells by downward movement through the intestinal lumen, rather than by absorption and systemic transport. In chickens given 100 p.p.m. beclotiamine in the feed over a period of 7 days, duodenal drug concentrations of approximately 5·8 p.p.m. were achieved and maintained, while concentrations in the caeca were lower, but gradually increased to 1·2 p.p.m. Caecal levels were slow to fall following drug withdrawal, whereas duodenal levels showed an immediate decrease. [3H]thiamine absorption from the caeca of normal chicks or of chicks infected with E. tenella was inhibited by oral administration of beclotiamine. Pyrithiamine showed slight anticoccidial activity at 30 p.p.m. as did 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) at 100 p.p.m. A combination of 40 p.p.m. beclotiamine and 200 p.p.m. 2,4-DNP was quite effective although weight gains were not as good as with 120 p.p.m. beclotiamine alone.