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- Current volume: 73: 2026
- Special Issue: Three Decades of Latent Toxoplasmosis
- Published since 1954 – freely available!
International journal that covers all branches of animal parasitology, including morphology, taxonomy, biology, biochemistry, physiology, immunology and molecular biology of parasites, host-parasite relationships and parasite evolution.
Special Issue: Three Decades of Latent Toxoplasmosis
Flegr J., Ullmann J., Španiel F., Toman J., Hůla M., Šebánková B., Petrusová J., Novotný P., Včelák J., Kaňková Š. 2026: Does latent Toxoplasma infection mimic the immune profile of schizophrenia? Sex-specific cytokine and brain-marker alterations suggest partial overlap. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 73: 006
Webster J.P. 2025: Who makes the decisions? Uncovering the evolutionary implications and clinical applications of Toxoplasma gondii’s Fatal Feline Attraction. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 016
Postolache T.T. 2025: Toxoplasma gondii and suicidal behaviour: discovery, cross-diagnostic confirmation and pathway exploration. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 025.
Catchpole A., Zabriskie B.N., Embley B., Kharazi H., Clarke R., Templeton G., Hunt C., Gale S.D., Hedges D.W. 2025: Association between type-2 diabetes and Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 024.
Postolache T.T., Duncan E., Yen P., Potocki E., Barnhart M., Federline A., Massa N., Dagdag A., Joseph J., Wadhawan A., Capan C., Forton C., Lowry C.A., Ortmeyer H.K., Brenner L.A. 2025: Toxoplasma gondii, suicidal behavior and suicide risk factors in US Veterans enrolled in mental health treatment. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 002.
Flegr J. 2025: Thirty years of studying latent toxoplasmosis: behavioural, physiological, and health insights: description of a struggle. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 005.
Vyas A. 2024: Nuts and bolts of the behavioural manipulation by Toxoplasma gondii. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 71: 017.
Latifi A., Flegr J., Kaňková Š. 2025: Re-assessing host manipulation in Toxoplasma: the underexplored role of sexual transmission – evidence, mechanisms, implications. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 015.
Torrey E.F. 2024: The linking of toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia. Folia Parasitol. 71: 016.
Ullmann J., Flegr J., Nouzová K., Včelák J., Kaňková Š. 2025: Chronic inflammation in pregnant women with latent toxoplasmosis and explanation of discordant results of serological tests for toxoplasmosis. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 021.
Tautanova A., Kiyan V., Dusmagambetov M., Almysheva T.A., Dusmagambetova A. 2026: Three decades of research on molecular genetic characteristics of Echinococcus spp.: a bibliometric study. Folia Parasitol. 73: 001.
Folia Parasitologica - Most viewed articles
Results 511 to 540 of 3110:
Homing of Gyrodactylus salaris and G. derjavini (Monogenea) on different hosts and response post-attachment
Kurt Buchmann, Kenneth K. Madsen, Michael B. Dalgaard
Folia Parasitologica 51[2/3] 263-267 (2004) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2004.031 
In natural European waters, the congeneric monogeneans Gyrodactylus derjavini Mikailov, 1975 and G. salaris Malmberg, 1957 are primarily found on brown trout Salmo trutta L. and Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L., respectively. Interestingly, rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), originating from North America, is as susceptible as brown trout to G. derjavini. However, the mechanisms involved in this host specificity are poorly understood but may include behavioural, mechanical and chemical factors affecting parasite attraction, attachment, feeding, reproduction and host responses. In the present laboratory...
Fish trypanosomes from the Okavango Delta, Botswana
Nico J. Smit, Jo G. Van As, Angela J. Davies
Folia Parasitologica 51[4] 299-303 (2004)
During 2001 and 2002, blood smears from 37 of 120 fishes belonging to 10 species captured in the Okavango Delta region of Botswana, were found to harbour trypanosomes. These trypanosomes displayed differing staining properties, were morphometrically variable, and ranged in total length from 29.5 to 80.8 µm. Mixed populations of the smaller and larger trypanosomes were found in most fish examined. Despite variations in size and appearance, these specimens are tentatively identified as Trypanosoma mukasai Hoare, 1932, likely adding another 9 new hosts to those known for this parasite. It is possible that Trypanosoma clariense Pienaar,...
The life cycle of Paracardicoloides yamagutii Martin, 1974 (Digenea: Sanguinicolidae)
Matthew J. Nolan, Thomas H. Cribb
Folia Parasitologica 51[4] 320-326 (2004)
The sanguinicolids Paracardicoloides yamagutii Martin, 1974 and Plethorchis acanthus Martin, 1975 were obtained from their definitive hosts, Anguilla reinhardtii Steindachner and Mugil cephalus Linnaeus (respectively) in the tributaries of the Brisbane River, Queensland, Australia. Two putative sanguinicolid cercariae were collected from a hydrobiid gastropod, Posticobia brazieri Smith, in the same waters. The two cercariae differ markedly in size and the form of their sporocysts. Both putative cercariae develop in the digestive gland of Po. brazieri. The ITS2 rDNA region from these sanguinicolids and a Clinostomum...
Evolutionary strategies and adaptations for survival between mosquito-parasitic microsporidia and their intermediate copepod hosts: a comparative examination of Amblyospora connecticus and Hyalinocysta chapmani (Microsporidia: Amblyosporidae)
Theodore G. Andreadis
Folia Parasitologica 52[1/2] 23-35 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.004
The epizootiology, transmission dynamics, and survival strategies employed by two mosquito-parasitic microsporidia that utilize copepods as intermediate hosts are examined in relation to the biological attributes of their hosts and the environments in which they inhabit. Amblyospora connecticus Andreadis, 1988, a parasite of Ochlerotatus cantator (Coquillett) and Acanthocyclops vernalis (Fischer) is found in an unstable salt marsh environment that is subject to periodic flooding and drying. Both hosts have distinct non-overlapping generations. A. connecticus exhibits a well-defined seasonal transmission cycle that relies...
Review of microsporidia-mosquito relationships: from the simple to the complex
James J. Becnel, Susan E. White, Alexandra M. Shapiro
Folia Parasitologica 52[1/2] 41-50 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.006
Microsporidia in mosquitoes can be divided into two categories based on their life cycles and host-parasite relationships. Some species of microsporidia exhibit simple life cycles with one spore type responsible for oral (horizontal) transmission. They affect only one generation of the mosquito and are not usually host or tissue specific. Brachiola algerae (Vavra et Undeen, 1970) and Vavraia culicis (Weiser, 1947) are examples of species isolated from mosquitoes with relatively straightforward life cycles (one spore type) and simple host-parasite relationships. B. algerae and a close relative of V. culicis have also been...
Chromosomal composition of the genome in the monomorphic diplokaryotic microsporidium Paranosema grylli: analysis by two-dimensional pulsed-field gel electrophoresis
Elena Nassonova, Emmanuel Cornillot, Guy Méténier, Nina Agafonova, Boris Kudryavtsev, Sergei Skarlato, Christian P. Vivarès
Folia Parasitologica 52[1/2] 145-157 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.019
The molecular karyotype of Paranosema grylli Sokolova, Seleznev, Dolgikh et Issi, 1994, a monomorphic diplokaryotic microsporidium, comprises numerous bright and faint bands of nonstoichiometric staining intensity. Restriction analysis of chromosomal DNAs by "karyotype and restriction display" 2-D PFGE has demonstrated that the complexity of molecular karyotype of P. grylli is related to the pronounced length polymorphism of homologous chromosomes. The background of this phenomenon is discussed in the context of ploidy state, reproductive strategy and population structure in this microsporidium. We propose that the remarkable size variation...
Humoral intestinal immunity against Encephalitozoon cuniculi (Microsporidia) infection in mice
Bohumil Sak, Oleg Ditrich
Folia Parasitologica 52[1/2] 158-162 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.020
Three strains of mice, BALB/c, IL-12 knock-out (KO) and INF-γ knock-out, were chosen as an experimental model for the study of intestinal immunity induction against Encephalitozoon cuniculi Levaditi, Nicolau et Schoen, 1923 infection. Mice were infected perorally with 107 spores and re-infected with the same dose 70 days after the first infection. The anti-E. cuniculi IgA, IgG and IgM responses in sera and extracts of stool samples were determined by ELISA. Results have shown specific antibody production in the sera and intestinal secretions of all three strains of mice induced orally by E. cuniculi spores. BALB/c...
Microsporidia in aquatic microcrustacea: the copepod microsporidium Marssoniella elegans Lemmermann, 1900 revisited
Jiří Vávra, Miroslav Hyliš, Miroslav Oborník, Charles R. Vossbrinck
Folia Parasitologica 52[1/2] 163-172 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.021
Marssoniella elegans Lemmermann, 1900, a parasite of ovarial tissues of the copepod Cyclops vicinus Uljanin, 1875, was studied as a representative of aquatic-clade microsporidia which form "heteroinfectious spores" (spores not infective to the original host as opposed to "homoinfectious spores" which are infective for the original host) and which thus should require an alternate host. Several structural characters of this microsporidian are similar to those of copepod morphs of microsporidia infecting mosquitoes. However, small subunit ribosomal DNA phylogeny indicates that caddis flies (Insecta, Trichoptera) might be the alternate hosts...
Two new species of Philometra (Nematoda: Philometridae) from needlefishes (Belonidae) in Iraq, with a key to Philometra spp. parasitic in the host\'s subcutaneous tissue, fins and musculature
František Moravec, Atheer Hussain Ali
Folia Parasitologica 52[3] 267-273 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.035
Two new nematode species, Philometra strongylurae sp. n. and Philometra tylosuri sp. n., are described from female specimens collected from needlefishes (Belonidae, Beloniformes) off the Fao coast, Basrah, Persian Gulf, in Iraq. Philometra strongylurae (gravid females with larvae) was recorded from the subcutaneous tissue, muscles of beak and gills of Strongylura leiura (type host) and S. strongylura, whereas P. tylosuri (nongravid females) from the musculature and the subcutaneous tissue of Tylosurus crocodilus. The former is characterized mainly by the presence of eight markedly large cephalic papillae,...
Ultrastructure of the secondary osmoregulatory canals in the scolex and neck region of Silurotaenia siluri (Batsch, 1786) (Cestoda: Proteocephalidae)
Zdeňka Žďárská, Jana Nebesářová
Folia Parasitologica 53[1] 73-75 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.008
The secondary osmoregulatory canals in the scolex and neck region of Silurotaenia siluri, a parasite of the catfish Silurus glanis (L.), terminate below the tegument basal plasma membrane. The basal plasma membrane of the osmoregulatory canal syncytium is in tight contact with the tegument basal plasma membrane.
Relationships between the parasitic mite Spinturnix andegavinus (Acari: Spinturnicidae) and its bat host, Myotis daubentonii (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae): seasonal, sex- and age-related variation in infestation and possible impact of the parasite on the host condition and roosting behaviour
Radek K. Lučan
Folia Parasitologica 53[2] 147-152 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.019
Host-parasite relationships between the Daubenton's bat, Myotis daubentonii Kuhl, 1817 (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), and its haematophagous ectoparasite, the mite Spinturnix andegavinus Kolenati, 1857 (Acari: Spinturnicidae), were subjected to analyses based on data gathered during a six-year study (1999-2004) within a single study area in South Bohemia, Czech Republic. Seven hundred and fifty-one Daubenton's bats were examined by screening wing membranes with an intensive light source, resulting in 4,690 recorded mites. Sex, age, weight and reproductive state were evaluated for each bat. A body condition index was calculated as a ratio...
Sand fly saliva: effects on host immune response and Leishmania transmission
Iva Rohoušová, Petr Volf
Folia Parasitologica 53[3] 161-171 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.022
The feeding success of sand flies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) is linked to the vast array of pharmacological substances in their saliva, which interferes with the host haemostasis and immune response. Modification of feeding site plays also an important role in Leishmania transmission. In naive hosts, co-inoculation of saliva and Leishmania parasites increases the chance of successful transmission. Disease exacerbation seems to be associated with enhanced production of type 2 cytokines and selective inhibition of some macrophage functions including the production of NO and H2O2. On the other hand, hosts repeatedly exposed...
Terminal phase of bird schistosomiasis caused by Trichobilharzia regenti (Schistosomatidae) in ducks (Anas platyrhynchos f. domestica)
Marta Chanová, Petr Horák
Folia Parasitologica 54[2] 105-107 (2007) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2007.014
The terminal phase of the migration of Trichobilharzia regenti Horák, Kolářová et Dvořák, 1998 in the definitive host (Anas platyrhynchos f. domestica) was studied 12-27 days post infection (p.i.). Brain meninges were the last part of the nervous system where the worms were detected before their occurrence in the nasal cavity. In meninges, the parasites started to feed on red blood cells. Then the worms occurred in the nasal mucosa 14-25 days p.i. and the first immature eggs appeared 15 days p.i. The fully developed miracidia were recorded in the eggs from 17 days p.i. and freely in the nasal mucosa 19 days p.i. Infiltrates of lymphocytes,...
Monogenoidean parasites of freshwater stingrays (Rajiformes: Potamotrygonidae) from the Negro River, Amazon, Brazil: species of Potamotrygonocotyle (Monocotylidae) and Paraheteronchocotyle (Hexabothriidae)
Marcus V. Domingues, Norberto C.M. Pancera, Fernando P.L. Marques
Folia Parasitologica 54[3] 177-190 (2007) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2007.025
Five new species of Potamotrygonocotyle (Monocotylidae) are described and Paraheteronchocotyle amazonense Mayes, Brooks et Thorson, 1981 (Hexabothriidae) is redescribed from monogenoideans collected on the gills of species of Potamotrygonidae from the Negro River, Amazon, Brazil. Potamotrygonocotyle quadracotyle sp. n. and P. umbella sp. n. were found parasitizing an undescribed species of Potamotrygon; Potamotrygonocotyle rarum sp. n. is described from Potamotrygon schroederi; Potamotrygonocotyle rionegrense inhabits Potamotrygon cf. motoro; Potamotrygonocotyle aramasae sp....
Endoparasitic mites of the genus Endotrombicula Ewing, 1931 (Acari: Prostigmata: Parasitengona: Trombiculidae) from African and Madagascan anurans, with description of a new species
Andreas Wohltmann, Louisdu Preez, Mark-Oliver Rödel, Jörn Köhler, Miguel Vences
Folia Parasitologica 54[3] 225-235 (2007) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2007.031
A sample of over 6,000 specimens of frogs belonging to about 120 species of all families occurring in West Africa and Madagascar were screened for parasitic mites. Three species of Endotrombicula Ewing, 1931 were found in representatives of two African and two Madagascan frog families. All Trombiculidae found in African frogs belonged to Endotrombicula pillersi (Sambon, 1928), whereas in Madagascar E. madagascariensis (Sambon, 1928) and E. ptychadenae sp. n. were sampled. These three species are described, data about their parasitic associations are provided, and their zoogeographical distribution is discussed. Only those...
Glycolytic and chitinolytic activities of Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) from diverse ecological habitats
Raymond L. Jacobson, Liora Studentsky, Yosef Schlein
Folia Parasitologica 54[4] 301-309 (2007) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2007.039
The sand fly Phlebotomus papatasi Scopoli, 1786, the vector of Leishmania major Yakimoff et Schokhor, 1914, is found in desert areas where sugars are scarce but also in habitats that abound in sugar sources. The sand flies require sugar meals from plant sources for their energy requirements and to hydrolyze these complex sugars, they need a repertoire of glycosidases. We presumed that there are differences in the levels of glycosidase activities in flies from such habitats and also assumed that they may be instrumental in modulating the flies' susceptibility to L. major infections. Phlebotomus papatasi originating from diverse...
Haemosporidian infections in captive exotic glossy starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus in Hong Kong
Ilan Paperna, Paolo Martelli
Folia Parasitologica 55[1] 7-12 (2008) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2008.002
A greater blue-eared glossy starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus Ehrenburg from a large flight aviary in Hong Kong was found on post mortem to be infected with Plasmodium octamerium Manwell, 1968, Plasmodium cf. relictum (Grassi et Feletti, 1891) and Haemoproteus cf. pastoris Mello, 1935. Descriptions of their morphology are provided as none of the examined parasites fully concord with their type (or neotype) material descriptions. Plasmodium octamerium has been recorded in avian hosts from geographically distant locations, suggesting that infection in imported hosts may persist in a chronic state for a...
Taxonomical study into two new species of Philometra (Nematoda: Philometridae) previously identified as Philometra lateolabracis (Yamaguti, 1935)
Karl Marx A. Quiazon, Tomoyoshi Yoshinaga, Kazuo Ogawa
Folia Parasitologica 55[1] 29-41 (2008) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2008.005
Males of the nematode Philometra lateolabracis (Yamaguti, 1935), the type species of the genus Philometra Costa, 1845, were discovered for the first time in gonads of its type host, the Japanese seaperch, Lateolabrax japonicus (Cuvier). Morphological comparisons carried out between the collected male and female P. lateolabracis with the male and female philometrid nematodes previously reported as P. lateolabracis infecting chicken grunt, Parapristipoma trilineatum (Thunberg), and red sea bream, Pagrus major (Temminck et Schlegel), revealed that the latter represent two new species, Philometra isaki...
Crustacean-acanthocephalan interaction and host cell-mediated immunity: parasite encapsulation and melanization
Bahram Sayyaf Dezfuli, Edi Simoni, Laura Duclos, Emanuele Rossetti
Folia Parasitologica 55[1] 53-59 (2008) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2008.007
Host-parasite interactions of Pomphorhynchus laevis (Müller, 1776) in naturally infected amphipod, Echinogammarus stammeri (Karaman), from the Brenta River (northern Italy) are described. A fully developed acanthocephalan larva occupies a large portion of an amphipod's haemocoelic space; thus, the parasite frequently induces displacement of host digestive tract and other internal organs. However, no apparent damage to the host's internal structures was observed. Within the haemocoel of E. stammeri, each larva of P. laevis is surrounded with a membranous layer, formed by microvilli, which maintains intimate contact with the...
The marine herring myxozoan Ceratomyxa auerbachi (Myxozoa: Ceratomyxidae) uses Chone infundibuliformis (Annelida: Polychaeta: Sabellidae) as invertebrate host
Marianne Køie, Egil Karlsbakk, Are Nylund
Folia Parasitologica 55[2] 100-104 (2008) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2008.013
Sequencing of SSU rDNA showed that actinospores of the tetractinomyxon type, which develop in Chone infundibuliformis Krøyer (Annelida, Polychaeta, Sabellidae) from the northern Øresund, Denmark, are identical with Ceratomyxa auerbachi Kabata, 1962 (Myxozoa, Ceratomyxidae). This myxosporean was found in the gallbladder of the Atlantic herring Clupea harengus L. from the northern Øresund, Denmark, and from the Bergen area, western Norway. The pansporocysts and actinospores of C. auerbachi are described. This is the third elucidated two-host life cycle of a marine myxozoan, and the first involving a marine...
Differences in viability and reactivity of actinospores of three myxozoan species upon ageing
Dennis Marc Kallert, Mansour El-Matbouli
Folia Parasitologica 55[2] 105-110 (2008) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2008.014
Little is known about the viability of myxozoan actinospore stages after harvest from laboratory cultures of infected oligochaete worms. The viability and reactivity of actinospores of three myxozoan species was evaluated after short-term storage at 4°C and 12°C. Two methods of determining actinospore viability were compared: differential fluorescent staining and direct microscopic observation of morphological indicators of spore integrity. Spore reactivity was quantified by measuring polar filament discharge rates in a micro-assay with fish mucus substrate and mechanical stimulation by vibration. The age-dependent viability of the three species showed...
Potential environmental and host gender influences on prevalence of Haemogregarina platessae (Adeleorina: Haemogregarinidae) and suspected Haemohormidium terraenovae (incertae sedis) in Brazilian flounder from the Patos Lagoon Estuary, Southern Brazil
Angela J. Davies, Lílian L. Amado, Richard T. Cook, Adalto Bianchini, Jorge C. Eiras
Folia Parasitologica 55[3] 161-170 (2008) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2008.023
Flounder, Paralichthys orbignyanus (Valenciennes), were captured in polluted and non-polluted sites within the Patos Lagoon Estuary, southern Brazil, over four seasons. Blood films showed a high prevalence of infection with a haemogregarine, or mixed parasitaemias of this and an organism resembling Haemohormidium terraenovae So, 1972. Haemogregarine gamont stages conformed to existing descriptions of Desseria platessae (Lebailly, 1904) Siddall, 1995 from flatfishes, but intraerythrocytic division of meronts was observed, leading to the recommendation for nomenclatural correction, placing the haemogregarine in the genus Haemogregarina...
Redescription of the gonad-infecting nematode Philometra saltatrix Ramachandran, 1973 (Philometridae) based on specimens from the type host Pomatomus saltatrix (L.) (Osteichthyes) from the Tuscan Sea, Italy
František Moravec, Marta Magi, Fabio Macchioni
Folia Parasitologica 55[3] 219-223 (2008) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2008.029
The philometrid nematode, Philometra saltatrix Ramachandran, 1973, is redescribed from male and female specimens collected from the ovaries of the marine fish (bluefish) Pomatomus saltatrix (L.) (Pomatomidae, Perciformes) from the Tuscan Sea, Italy. The light and scanning electron microscopical examination made it possible to study in detail the morphology of this so far little known species. For the first time, the actual structure of the male cephalic and caudal ends is described. The male possesses 14 small cephalic papillae arranged in two circles, the spicules are 84-111 µm long and the gubernaculum, 75-84 µm long, has...
Philometra sawara sp. n. and a redescription of Philometra sciaenae Yamaguti, 1941 and Philometra nemipteri Luo, 2001 (Nematoda: Philometridae): a morphological and molecular approach
Karl Marx A. Quiazon, Tomoyoshi Yoshinaga, Kazuo Ogawa
Folia Parasitologica 55[4] 277-290 (2008) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2008.036
Morphological data and molecular analyses are used to describe the taxonomy of philometrid nematodes of the genus Philometra Costa, 1845, found in the gonads of marine fishes in Japan. A new Philometra species, P. sawara sp. n., is described based on male and female specimens collected from the gonads of Scomberomorus niphonius (Cuvier) (Japanese Spanish mackerel). Two additional species, Philometra nemipteri Luo, 2001 and Philometra sciaenae Yamaguti, 1941, are confirmed as valid species and are redescribed based on specimens collected from the gonads of Nemipterus virgatus (Houttuyn) (golden threadfin...
Neotropical Monogenoidea. 53. Gyrodactylus corydori sp. n. and redescription of Gyrodactylus anisopharynx (Gyrodactylidea: Gyrodactylidae), parasites of Corydoras spp. (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) from southern Brazil
Marlus Bueno-Silva, Walter A. Boeger
Folia Parasitologica 56[1] 13-20 (2009) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2009.003
Morphometric analyses are used to evaluate the taxonomic status of two sympatric variants of Gyrodactylus anisopharynx Popazoglo et Boeger, 2000 (forma "large-pharynx" and forma "small-pharynx"). The parasites were collected from the Piraquara River and the Miringuava River, State of Paraná, Brazil, between February 2005 and May 2006. A total of 132 parasites were measured from two hosts, Corydoras ehrhardti Steindachner and Corydoras paleatus (Jenyns). Eleven morphological features of the haptoral sclerites and pharynx were measured and analysed by discriminant analysis and principal components analysis. The results indicate that...
Goezia spinulosa (Nematoda: Raphidascarididae), a pathogenic parasite of the arapaima Arapaima gigas (Osteichthyes)
Cláudia Portes Santos, František Moravec
Folia Parasitologica 56[1] 55-63 (2009) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2009.009
The nematode Goezia spinulosa (Diesing, 1839) (Raphidascarididae) is redescribed based on specimens found in the stomach and intestine of the naturally infected arapaima Arapaima gigas (Schinz) from the Mexiana Island, Amazon River Delta, Brazil. Light and electron microscopy examinations revealed some previously unreported or inaccurately described morphological features in the species, such as the position of the excretory pore, phasmids in the male or the number (4) of postanal papillae. The morphology of G. spinulosa is compared with that of other four congeneric species parasitizing freshwater fishes in South America. This...
Pseudoacanthocephalus lutzi (Hamann, 1891) comb. n. (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) for Acanthocephalus lutzi (Hamann, 1891), parasite of South American amphibians
Nathalia J. Arredondo, Alicia A. Gil de Pertierra
Folia Parasitologica 56[4] 295-304 (2009) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2009.034
Acanthocephalus lutzi (Hamann, 1891) is proposed to be transferred to the genus Pseudoacanthocephalus Petrochenko, 1956 based on the type material from Rhinella marina (L.) from Brazil and recently collected material from R. arenarum (Hensel) from Argentina. Pseudoacanthocephalus is characterised by the following features: a cylindrical trunk without spines, a cylindrical proboscis, testes in tandem, a compact cluster of cement glands, a nearly terminal male genital pore, a ventral and sub-terminal female genital pore, and egg without polar prolongations, containing a holoechinate acanthor. Pseudoacanthocephalus lutzi...
Scolex morphology of monozoic cestodes (Caryophyllidea) from the Palaearctic Region: a useful tool for species identification
Mikuláš Oros, Tomáš Scholz, Vladimíra Hanzelová, John S. Mackiewicz
Folia Parasitologica 57[1] 37-46 (2010) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2010.006
A comparative study of the scoleces of caryophyllidean tapeworms (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea), parasitic in cypriniform fishes in the Palaearctic Region, was carried out using light and scanning electron microscopy. Three-dimensional pictures of the scoleces of 18 species of caryophyllidean cestodes of the Capingentidae (1 species), Caryophyllaeidae (7) and Lytocestidae (10), and outlines of the scoleces and anterior extent of the testes and vitelline follicles of 19 Palaearctic taxa were documented. Both species of Atractolytocestus Anthony, 1957 possess a bulboacuminate scolex, whereas species of Archigetes Leuckart, 1876 have fossate...
Potential solutions to problems posed by the offspring sex ratios of people with parasitic and viral infections
William H. James
Folia Parasitologica 57[2] 114-120 (2010) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2010.014
I have hypothesized that mammalian offspring sex ratios (proportions male at birth) are partially controlled by the hormone levels of both parents around the time of conception. Recently data have been published (privately) which impugn suggestions of mine (based on that hypothesis) relating to the offspring sex ratios of people who are carriers of hepatitis B virus; and (publicly) to hormone profiles of women who are infected with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Here these data are reviewed in the light of data on offspring sex ratios of people infected with hepatitis C, and cytomegalovirus and T. gondii; and of mice with T....
Three new species of Echinobothrium (Cestoda: Diphyllidea) from Indo-Pacific stingrays of the genus Pastinachus (Rajiformes: Dasyatidae)
Roman Kuchta, Janine N. Caira
Folia Parasitologica 57[3] 185-196 (2010) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2010.025
Three new species of diphyllidean cestodes are described from stingrays of the genus Pastinachus from the Indian and Pacific Oceans. All three new species differ from all but 10 of the 36 valid species of Echinobothrium van Beneden, 1849 in that they bear lateral hooklets arranged in a continuous band across each lateral surface of the rostellum joining the groups of dorsal and ventral apical hooks, rather than arranged in distinct dorsal and ventral groups, on each side of the apical hooks. Echinobothrium nataliae sp. n. ex Pastinachus solocirostris off Borneo differs from other relatives in the following combination of...