Volume 58, Issue 1

This review examines metabolic profiling of Schistosoma mansoni and Echinostoma caproni in their definitive and intermediate hosts. The earlier coverage of the literature on metabolic profiling was reviewed by Wang et al. 2010, Advances in Parasitology, 73, 373–404 and covered mainly studies using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The methods focused upon in our review are mainly chromatographic. In the studies reviewed, various metabolites were analyzed in hosts infected with either E. caproni or S. mansoni and compared to the uninfected controls.

Trypanosoma evansi infection in the Philippines is frequently reported to affect the country’s livestock, particularly, the buffaloes. To assess the prevalence and intraspecific diversity of T. evansi in the country, blood samples from water buffaloes in different geographical regions were collected during an outbreak. T. evansi was detected in all 79 animals tested using PCR targeting the RoTat 1.2 VSG gene. Sequencing of the rDNA complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region including the 5.8S subunit showed high similarity (99–100%) between Philippine isolates and known T. evansi isolates in Genbank. Tree construction based on the same region confirmed the close relationship between Philippine and reported Thai isolates as compared to Egyptian isolates separated by relatively small genetic distances, 47 polymorphisms, despite the clustering in four branches. Overall, the results of this study prove genetic diversity within T. evansi species despite previous reports on limited heterogeneity among isolates worldwide.

A total of 47 avian faecal samples of wild waterfowl (great cormorant — Phalacrocorax carbo, great crested grebe — Podiceps cristatus, white stork — Ciconia ciconia) trapped in the eastern Slovakia were screened for the presence of human pathogenic microsporidia by microscopy and real-time SYBR Green PCR method using species primers and sequenced. Microscopic analysis showed presence in 32 samples (29 cormorants, 3 dippers). Microsporidial DNA (Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype I) was identified in 19 faeces samples (40.4%) namely cormorants in 17 out of 40, one dipper of 5 and a stork out of 2. The present work describes three new host species of the bird population in microsporidium Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype I which confirms the theory of low specificity of this species.

A new quill mite species Neoaulonastus grewlingi sp. nov. parasitizing Australian endemic Falcunculus frontatus (Latham) (Passeriformes: Falcunculidae) is described. This new species differs from N. caligatus Skoracki by the following characters: apunctate pygidial shield and coxal fields I–IV, setae c1 1.4 times longer than d1, and lengths of setae ve 20, si 15–25, se 155–175 and c2 145–155. This is the first record of syringophilid mites from hosts of the family Falcunculidae and first register of Neoaulonastus genus in Australian region.

Helminths are known to accumulate higher amounts of certain elements than their hosts. The present study assesses the accumulation of heavy metals in Tetrabothrius bassani and in its host, the Atlantic gannet (Morus bassanus) found dead due to bycatch along the seashore in the centre of Portugal. Samples of kidney, liver and pectoral muscle of 23 infected gannets, as well as specimens of T. bassani were analysed for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Pb, Se and Zn by ICP-MS. The evidenced lower concentrations of Cr and Pb in tissues of gannets in comparison to an earlier study performed in the same area may reveal a change in the diet of M. bassanus between both study periods. The highest bioaccumulation factor was obtained for Cd with a 12.7-times higher concentration in the cestode than in gannet muscle. Lead concentration in T. bassani was 6.9-times higher than in kidney tissue, 8.5-times higher than in muscle and 9.5-times higher than in liver of M. bassanus. The cestode/seabird system T. bassani/M. bassanus can be considered a promising bioindicator system to monitor environmental Cd and Pb pollution in marine ecosystems.

Cosmocerca oroensis sp. nov. (Ascaridida, Cosmocercidae) from the large intestine of Barygenys atra (Anura, Microhylidae) is described and illustrated. Cosmocerca oroensis represents the 26th species assigned to the genus and the 7th from the Australo-Papuan biogeographical region. Cosmocerca oroensis sp. nov. differs from the previously described Australo-Papuan species in number of plectanes: C. oroensis with 2 pairs; C. australis, 3–4 pairs; C. archeyi, C. tyleri and C. zugi, 4 pairs; C. limnodynastes and C. novaeguineae, 5 pairs. In addition to the new nematode species, Meteterakis crombiei (Nematoda, Heterakidae) was also found.

Two new species of Oswaldocruzia, O. manuensis sp. nov., and O. urubambaensis sp. nov. are described and illustrated from Peru, these are parasites of the cane toad Rhinella marina. O. manuensis is characterized by having cervical alae which are not well developed, ridges without chitinous supports, caudal bursa type II and branches of fork of dissimilar length. O. urubambaensis is characterized by a caudal bursa of type I, ridges with chitinous supports, a thin cephalic vesicle and origin of rays 9 in tip of the dorsal trunk.

Previously unrecognized species of the genus Hymenolepis are described based on specimens from spalacid and murid (Murinae) rodents. Hymenolepis rymzhanovi sp. nov. from the Siberian zokor, Myospalax myospalax (Laxmann), from East Kazakhstan, and H. apodemi sp. nov. from Eurasian field mice, Apodemus peninsulae (Thomas), A. uralensis (Pallas) and A. agrarius (Pallas), from the south of Russian Far East, western Siberia and south-eastern Kazakhstan are characterized. The new species differ from other species of the genus by the morphology of the scolex, the relative position and length of the cirrus-sac and the relative position and arrangement of the testes. Differential criteria of species of Hymenolepis (sensu stricto) are also discussed.

Lecithostaphylus tylosuri sp. nov. (Digenea, Zoogonidae) specimen were collected from the digestive tract of Tylosurus acus imperialis (Teleostei, Belonidae) caught off the eastern coast of Tunisia. L. tylosuri is very similar to its closest relatives, L. retroflexus and L. nitens. It can be easily distinguished from L. retroflexus (Molin, 1859) in having a more extensive vitellarium, with follicles reaching from the posterior margin of the acetabulum and extending beyond the posterior margin of the testes and a coiled seminal vesicle. L. tylosuri differs from L. nitens as illustrated by Linton 1898, in having a longer cirrus pouch (0.7 mm vs 0.36 mm, respectively) overlapping the anterior edge of the ventral sucker and a submarginal genital pore (submedian in L. nitens). It’s also different from L. nitens as described by Manter 1947 in the vitelline disposition and in having the greater sucker ratio (1: 1.3–2.1 vs 1: 1.3–1.6, respectively). L. tylosuri differs from L. nitens as reported by Machida and Kuramochi 2000 by the absence of variations in the vitellarium disposition in all specimens. L. tylosuri is more similar to L. nitens from group A (considered synonym of L. ahaaha Yamaguti, 1970 = L. nitens by Bray 1987) by having vitelline follicles extending beyond the testes. L. tylosuri can be distinguished from L. ahaaha by its pedunculate rather than prominent acetabulum and its larger body size (4.10–7.85 mm long and 0.75–1.2 mm large vs 2.1–6 mm long and 0.45–1.1 mm large, respectively). The prevalence of L. tylosuri sp. nov. was negatively correlated with host length (decreasing with host size increasing). Host sex does not seem to affect infection parameters.

Many aquatic insect species, including aquatic Hemiptera, are parasitized by water mite larvae. Although this situation may cause damaging impacts to the hosts, the mites can disperse and colonize new localities in this way. Little is known about the frequency of water mite ectoparasitism amongst the aquatic Hemiptera in Turkey. In this study, larval water mite parasitism on aquatic Hemiptera, which have been collected from different localities in Turkish Thrace, was evaluated. It was found that only nine individuals, belonging two different species in a total of 367 hemipteran specimens, were parasitized by larval water mites. Furthermore, variations in sizes and shapes of the mites on the waterscorpion Ranatra linearis Linne, 1758 and Nepa cinerea Linne, 1758 were determined. These are the first records for larval mite parasitism on R. linearis and N. cinerea in Turkish Thrace.

The aim of this work was to determine the activity of proteases and protease inhibitors sampled from the body surface of tau-fluvalinate-sensitive and resistant V. destructor. Proteins were isolated from the tau-fluvalinate-sensitive and resistant mites, while mites untreated with tau-fluvalinate constituted the control. Subsequently, the following methodology was applied: protein concentration assay by the Lowry method — as modified by Schacterle and Pollack; assay of proteolytic activity in relation to various substrates (gelatine, haemoglobin, ovoalbumin, albumin, cytochrome C, casein) by the modified Anson method; identification of proteolytic activity in relation to diagnostic inhibitors of proteolytic enzymes (pepstatin A, PMSF, iodoacetamide, o-phenantrolin), using the Lee and Lin method; identification of acidic, neutral and basic protease activities by means of the modified Anson method; electrophoretic analysis of proteins in a polyacrylamide gel for protease detection with the Laemmli method and for protease inhibitor detection with the Felicioli method. The highest value of protein concentration was found in the tau-fluvalinate-sensitive V. destructor, while the highest activity levels of acidic, neutral and alkaline proteases were observed in the tau-fluvalinate-resistant mites. Aspartic, serine, thiolic and metallic proteases were found in the drug-resistant and drug-sensitive Varroa mites. The control samples were found to contain aspartic and serine proteases. In an acidic and alkaline environment, the results revealed a complete loss of inhibitor activities in the in vitro analyses and electrophoresis. Serine protease inhibitor activities (at pH 7.0) were high, especially in the group of tau-fluvalinate-resistant mites.

Cryptosporidium parvum is an intracellular parasite causing enteritis which can become life-threatening in immunocompromised host. Immunoregulatory T cells play a central role in the regulatory network of the host. Here, we proposed to characterize the populations of immune cells during infection and reinfection with C. parvum. Four-week-old BALB/C mice were inoculated with oocysts of C. parvum at days 0 and 22. Fecal and blood samples, spleens, and small intestines were collected for analysis. Peripheral blood and spleen cell populations were characterized by flow cytometry. After infection (days 0 to 21), mice presented higher values of neutrophils, eosinophils, NK cells and CD4+CD25high T cells in peripheral blood. After reinfection, this upward trend continued in the following days for all four populations in infected mice. At day 35, infected mice presented similar values to the control group, except for CD4+CD25high T cells, which remained higher in infected mice. A possible correlation between alterations in blood and spleen cell populations was also studied, but no consistent association could be established. Small intestine sections were screened for intracellular stages of the parasite but no evidence of pathology was observed. Here, we report information which may be important for the understanding of the specific cell-mediated response in immunocompetent mice to C. parvum infection. Although some questions remain unanswered and complementary studies are needed, our results are expected to contribute to a better understanding of innate and Treg cells role in the clearance process of this parasite.

The presently reported study investigated seasonal fluctuations in the prevalence in four species of Nerocila infesting commercially exploited marine fishes representing the families Engraulidae, Clupeidae and Ambassidae, from the Malabar coast (Kerala, India). Seven of 56 fish species belonging to 23 families were infested by either one or two species of Nerocila. All the collected Nerocila species showed significant seasonal fluctuations in the prevalence of infestation, reaching maximum from October through April and minimum (or total absence of the parasites) from May through September. Such fluctuations were analyzed based on environmental parameters. Body surface, postero-ventral side of the head and the lateral line of the host fish form the major infestation site for the recovered Nerocila species. Skin lesion and hemorrhages were observed on the fish parasitized with these cymothoids.

The life-cycle stages of a new species of Uvulifer, U. iruvettiensis sp. nov. infecting the white-throated kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus) in Kerala, India are described. The new species is described in detail, and compared with its related species. The furcocercous cercariae emerged from the planorbid snail Indoplanorbis exustus (Deshayes). Metacercariae were found below the skin of tadpoles of Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis (Schneider). H. smyrnensis became infected when fed on tadpoles containing infective metacercariae. Pre-patent period is 10 days. Successive stages in the development of metacercariae and adults were followed in the laboratory.

A new species of the genus Protrellus, P. blatta sp. nov. parasitizing a field cockroach Blatella vaga Hebard, 1919, from El Tala river, Catamarca, Argentina, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by having the mouth opening circular, the buccal capsule with eight very small teeth, the nerve ring around oesophageal corpus, the excretory pore anterior to vulva, the vulva anterior to base of oesophagus, didelphic, the posterior ovary reflexed anterior to rectum, about one third of a body length from posterior end, the egg ellipsoidal, colourless, bearing a lateral cuticular crest, tail conical, with long filiform projection, the male with testis single, outstretched, one spicule, very small, short and straight, gubernaculums absent, the genital papillae arranged in three pairs of ventrolateral papillae, of which the first pair are close together and preanal position, two pairs postanal, tail conical and short, less than one twentieth of total body. A taxonomic key of Protrellus species is given.

A new species of hymenolepidid cestodes from Sephanoides sephaniodes (Trochilidae) found in Chile is described. The most characteristic features of Colibrilepis pusilla gen. nov., sp. nov. are the lack of rostellum, a cirrus sac with a thick-walled distal end (separated by a constriction) and protruding into genital atrium, a thick-walled saccular uterus filling entire median field of the gravid proglottis and the small number of eggs containing thick walled embryophores with polar swellings. Staphylepis is the most similar genus but differs in its apical structure because of the presence of a rudimentary rostellum. Moreover, molecular phylogenetic analyses show that Staphylepis and Colibrilepis are not sister taxa.

Ancylostoma ceylanicum belongs to a group of soil-transmitted helminths, which infect almost 576 mln people worldwide and are a major cause of anaemia and malnutrition. Upon contact with a permissive host, third-stage larvae (L3) residing in the environment become activated larvae (ssL3), a process associated with changes in the profile of gene expression. Ancylostoma secreted proteins (ASPs) are the major proteins secreted during larvae activation and play a crucial role in hookworm adaptation to parasitism. Here we report the cloning using RACE-PCR technique of three novel ASPs from the hookworm A. ceylanicum (Ace-asp-3, Ace-asp-4, and Ace-asp-5) and computational analysis of the protein sequences. All three proteins contain SCP (Sperm Coating Protein) domain characteristic for previously described ASP proteins. Real-time PCR analysis shows significant up-regulation of Ace-asp-3 and Ace-asp-5 expression in adult worms and correlated down-regulation in ssL3 larvae. On the other hand, expression of Ace-asp-4 was increased in ssL3 stages and decreased in adult parasites.

Here, we describe a new kathlaniid nematode, Falcaustra sanjuanensis sp. nov., from the large intestine of Odontophrynus cf. barrioi (Anura: Cycloramphidae), from San Juan Province, Argentina. The new species belongs to the Falcaustra group that possesses a pseudosucker. It resembles F. andrias in the distribution pattern of caudal papillae (six precloacal, four adcloacal, 12 postcloacal, one unpaired median anterior to the cloaca) but differs from F. andrias in the following characters: the longer size of males and females (11.17–13.45 mm and 10.1–15.5 mm, respectively); the longer size and form of the gubernaculum (0.17–0.23 mm, triangular form); the arrangement of postcloacal papillae (three pairs on the ventral side, two pairs on the lateral side, one pair on the subventral side) and unpaired papilla anterior to the cloaca located on the protuberance. The species description is based on light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Falcaustra sanjuanensis sp. nov. represents the 12th Neotropical species assigned to the genus. Also, we added a key to Neotropical species of Falcaustra.