Little is known about the effects of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, on its tick vectors. The purpose of this study was to determine the behavioural and ecological effects of infection by the bacterium in nymphal and adult black-legged (Ixodes scapularis) ticks. We found that the effects of infection were more pronounced in adults than in nymphs. Compared to uninfected adults, infected adults were less able to overcome physical obstacles, avoided vertical surfaces, were less active and quested at lower heights. Infected nymphs showed increased phototaxis and attraction to vertical surfaces. Infected nymphs also showed trends toward increased questing height and a greater tendency to overcome physical obstacles although these trends were not statistically significant. These altered behaviours in an infected tick may affect survival or pathogen transmission and may reflect kin selection in the bacterial pathogen.

We investigated the blood-feeding behaviour of a natural population of the human-feeding mosquito Anopheles punctulatus in Iguruwe, Papua New Guinea. In particular we investigated the relationship between the mosquitoes' blood-feeding behaviour and their infection by the malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax. Female mosquitoes were caught at 4 times of the night, the amount of blood they had obtained was measured and their status of infection was evaluated. Among uninfected mosquitoes the bloodmeal size steadily increased through the night, possibly because they were progressively less likely to be disturbed by human activity as the night drew on. Infected mosquitoes, on the other hand, tended to feed maximally at all times of the night. This suggests that infected mosquitoes were more tenacious in their blood-feeding behaviour, being either less readily disturbed during a bout of feeding (and thus feeding longer) or more likely to return to continue their feed following disturbance (and thus feeding several times). Either change would increase the parasites' rate of transmission. We conclude that in this natural situation the two species of malaria parasites modified the mosquitoes' behaviour with the effect of increasing their own transmission.

Encapsulation of the benzimidazole albendazole in multilamellar liposomes results in a preparation in which this normally insoluble anti-hydatid drug is well solublilized in aqueous media. The high entrapment efficiency observed (75–87%) and the stability of the formulation make this a promising delivery vehicle for improved chemotherapy with albendazole. In particular, the high degree of association with phospholipid may give rise to increased oral bioavailability. Oral adminisration of albendazole in liposomes led to increased concentration and/or altered metabolism of albendazole sulphoxide (ABZSX) in liver and/or plasma in non-infected Wistar rats. Results from experiments using cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) infected with metacestodes of Echinococcus multilocularis show that entrapment within liposomes clearly increases the uptake of albendazole via the oral route. This was reflected by increased levels of albendazole and the two major metabolites in plasma, liver and cyst homogenate when a dose of liposomal albendazole (35 mg/kg) was given orally compared to free albendazole at 50 mg/kg. There was a 75–94% reduction in biomass of the metacestode and a significant increase in survival time for the animals treated with liposome entrapped albendazole. A clear difference in distribution of albendazole and its metabolites in the liver and the metacestode tissues in the presence of cimetidine indicated that the latter has a profound effect on the metabolism of albendazole. There appeared to be a synergistic interaction between albendazole and cimetidine, since the metabolism of albendazole was markedly altered in the combined cimetidine/liposome–albendazole group, and higher therapeutic effect was observed. These findings indicate potential both for improvement of treatment of larval E. multilocularis infection and for reduction of albendazole dose levels.

The lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi is a periodically abundant and voracious plankton predator in coastal waters along the east coast of the United States. In the 1980s it was accidentally introduced to the Black Sea where it caused a dramatic reduction in fisheries. We investigated how M. leidyi is affected by infestation with parasitic larvae of the sea anemone Edwardsia lineata. Infested M. leidyi contained 1–30 (median 7) E. lineata larvae. Within M. leidyi most larvae had their mouth in the gastrovascular system near the aboral end of the pharynx. Parasitic E. lineata ingested all food previously ingested and pre-digested by M. leidyi. Non-infested M. leidyi had higher growth rates than infested individuals, which had zero or negative growth rates. Egg production was similar for infested and non-infested M. leidyi of similar size. Simulation based on the empirical data suggests that growing, non-infested, M. leidyi are expected to have a larger life-time egg production than infested shrinking individuals. E. lineata could be at least partially responsible for the sharp decline of M. leidyi populations in fall in US coastal waters. Advantages and disadvantages of E. lineata as a potential candidate for the control of the artificially introduced M. leidyi population in the Black Sea are discussed.

A study on the immune and mating interactions between Schistosoma intercalatum and S. mansoni has been carried out. The immunologically mediated interactions and mating patterns observed between the two species demonstrate that S. mansoni is competitively dominant over S. intercalatum. When S. mansoni females are absent, S. mansoni males are more competitive than S. intercalatum males at pairing with S. intercalatum females. The use of a mathematical model shows how the abundance of S. mansoni worms per host could dramatically affect the mating probability of S. intercalatum females with their homologous males. It appears that the competitive exclusion between these two species of schistosomes may probably be an important factor restricting the distribution of S. intercalatum in Africa.

The properties of 4 fluorescent lipid compounds in the surface membrane of adult male Schistosoma mansoni worms were examined by fluorescent microscopy and fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). The data suggest that the probes N-(4,4-difluoro-5,7-dimethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene-3-pentanoyl) sphingosine (BODIPY FL ceramide) and PKH2 pass through the outer membrane and enter structures in or below the membrane. In contrast 5-(N-octadecanoyl)aminofluorescein (AF18) and N-(4,4-difluoro-5,7-dimethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene-3-pentanoyl) sphingosylphosphocholine (BODIPY FL sphingomyelin) insert into the outer monolayer. The DL values of these latter 2 compounds, 8·83 ± 2·35 × 10−9 cm2 s−1 and 2·76 ± 0·53 × 10−9cm2 s−1, respectively, suggest that they enter different domains. Furthermore, it was observed that both BODIPY FL ceramide and BODIPY FL sphingomyelin entered particular structures in or under the surface membrane. The possible nature of these particles is discussed.

The cuticle of filarial nematodes is a specialized extracellular matrix that covers the parasite and protects it from adverse conditions of the environment. As a surface structure it is in direct contact with the host defence mechanisms and therefore plays an important role in the molecular host-parasite relationship. Using polyclonal antisera raised against the insoluble components of the cuticle of the adult filarial parasite Brugia pahangi, we have isolated cDNA clones encoding collagen molecules of the cuticle. The protein domain structure of cDNA clone Bpcol-1 was compared with the known structures of cuticular collagens of the nematodes Brugia malayi, Caenorhabditis elegans, Ascaris suum and Haemonchus contortus, confirming interspecies similarities. Using affinity-purified anti-Bpcol-1 antibodies we identified Bpcol-1 antigenic determinants in different nematode extracts, and determined the localization of such epitopes within the cuticle of B. pahangi.

The paper describes the development and analysis of a mathematical framework for the study of the within-host population dynamics of the interaction between macroparasites and the human immune system. Simple models of this interaction based on the proliferation of T cell clones specific to parasite antigen, and the impact of clonal expansion on parasite survival, capture the basic features of age-related changes in worm loads within human communities. The model is generalized to multiple epitopes on a single antigen, and reveals competitive exclusion amongst T cells, with a single clone becoming immunodominant in the absence of cross-reactive responses and genetic variation. The introduction of genetic heterogeneity and concomitant variability in the immunogenicity of specific epitopes induces additional complexity into the dynamical interaction. Most importantly, multiple epitope models with antigenic variation suggest that the immunodominant response may not necessarily be targeted at the epitope at which some strains show the greatest immunogenicity. High immunogenicity at a particular epitope can be masked by genetic variability even though many of the variants are more immunogenic at this epitope by comparison with the epitope to which the immunodominant immunological response is directed.

Neuronal abnormalities have been described in the intestine of helminth-infected rats. However, the physiological ramifications of these changes have not been determined. Here, we examined epithelial ion secretion, indicated by increases in short-circuit current (Isc), evoked by electrical transmural stimulation (TS) of enteric nerves in Ussing-chambered jejunal tissues from Nippostrongylus brasiliensis-infected rats. Rats were examined at 10 and 35 days post-infection (p.i.); non-infected rats served as controls. TS resulted in significantly reduced ion secretion in jejunum from 10 day p.i. rats compared to controls or jejunum from 35 day p.i. rats. The TS response in tissue from infected rats had, unlike controls, no cholinergic component. Tissues from both non-infected and infected rats were equally responsive to the muscarinic agonist bethanechol, suggesting that the cholinergic defect was neuronal and not an inability of the epithelium to respond to cholinergic stimulation. However, increases in Isc evoked by exogenous substance P (SP) in tissue from rats 10 day p.i. were reduced in magnitude to approximately 25% of control values. Concomitant with these physiological changes, tissue from infected rats contained increased amounts of substance P immunoreactivity and intestinal sections displayed increased numbers of substance P-immunoreactive nerve fibre profiles at both 10 and 35 days p.i. Thus, following N. brasiliensis infection there is a shift in the enteric nervous system away from cholinergic to non-cholinergic regulation, associated with increased amounts of the pro-inflammatory neuropeptide, substance P. We speculate that changes in neuronal structure and function are intimately involved in the co-ordinated multicellular response to intestinal parasitic infection and subsequent gut recovery.

We used selection to test for a genetic component to the pattern of emergence of infective juveniles from the host cadaver in the entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema glaseri (Steiner), and whether other traits would respond to selection on this major and complex life-history character. We selected for early (‘ fast’) and late (‘ slow’) emerging lines by perpetuating nematodes that emerged on the first and after the seventh day of emergence respectively. After 12 cycles of selection, the pattern for the slow line but not the fast line differed significantly from the base population. Cumulative emergence for the slow line was less than the base population from Days 4 to 14 of the 18-day emergence period. The maximum difference occurred on the fourth day when 72·6% of emergence was complete for the base population but only 55·4% for the slow line. Decreases in infective juvenile size over the emergence period were consistent with the change in emergence pattern, but variation in sex ratios was not. No differences in infectivity were found. These results indicate that the emergence pattern has a genetic component, and that genetic variability for this trait occurs in natural populations. Furthermore, the asymmetric response to selection suggests that our field population is under strong selection for a highly skewed early emergence.

Plasma membrane vesicles prepared from the bag region of the somatic muscle cells of the parasitic nematode Ascaris suum contain high conductance, voltage sensitive, Ca-dependent chloride channels, suggested to be involved in the excretion of carboxylic acids produced by the anaerobic respiration of glucose (Valkanov, Martin & Dixon, 1994). The effect of altered pH on this channel was investigated using the patch-clamp technique and isolated inside-out membrane patches. Changes in pH had little effect on channel conductances and only a small effect on reversal potentials. Under control conditions (symmetrical pH 7·2) the channel had the highest probability of opening at ∼ — 35 mV (the resting membrane potential of the cell). At positive membrane potentials the probability of opening decreased. The Boltzmann equation was used to describe the relationship between membrane potential and probability of channel opening, and to calculate the effective gating charge. Reduction of external pH produced an increase in the probability of channel opening at hyper-polarized membrane potentials. An increase in internal pH caused a voltage-independent increase in the probability of channel opening and made the effective gating charge less negative. The effect of reducing internal pH was marked: the channel then opened most frequently at positive membrane potentials and the probability of opening at —35 mV was greatly reduced. The decrease in internal pH changed the polarity of the effective gating charge. A simple model was constructed to describe the effects of pH on channel gating.

We analysed the patterns of tick distribution on 2274 adult toads from Venezuela and Brazil, to explore whether these ectoparasites have any impact on the survival of Bufo marinus. A maximum-likelihood analysis showed that aggregation levels of ticks decreased significantly with the mean intensity of infection. This decline could be attributed to a density-dependent reduction of ticks within toads, density-dependent tick-induced toad mortality and/or density-dependent tick-induced changes in toad susceptibility. However, the relationship between the rate of change in tick loads and tick burdens from recaptured toads indicated that neither the loss of ticks within toads nor the toad susceptibility to further infection were dependent upon tick burdens. Therefore, we can indirectly infer that density-dependent tick-induced toad mortality is responsible for the observed decline in aggregation levels with tick age and burdens. On the other hand, a significant negative relationship between tick burdens and the size-specific weight of toads suggested that ticks may also have a significant impact on the patterns of weight deposition of adult toads. This evidence suggests that these ectoparasites may play an important role in regulating the densities of B. marinus in native habitats.