Folia Parasitologica - Most viewed articles

Screening of the T- and B-cell antigenicity in neonatal calves of the His-tagged Cryptosporidium parvum antigens CP15, CP15/60, P23 and TRAP-C1

Dirk C. de Graaf, Hans De Coninck, Cathérine De Clercq, Johan E. Peeters

Folia Parasitologica 49[4] 319-322 (2002) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2002.059  

Toxicity of cadmium and zinc to the cercarial activity of Diplostomum spathaceum (Trematoda: Diplostomidae)

Neil J. Morley, Mark Crane, John W. Lewis

Folia Parasitologica 50[1] 57-60 (2003) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2003.011  

The toxicity of cadmium and zinc at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 100 µg/l was investigated against the activity of Diplostomum spathaceum (Rudolphi, 1819) cercariae. Over a 24 h exposure period a significant reduction in cercarial activity occurred in solutions of cadmium, zinc, and a mixture of cadmium and zinc at all concentrations. Reduced cercarial activity also occurred in all toxicant solutions compared with controls after only 6 h exposure indicating that cercariae were vulnerable during the period of maximum cercarial infectivity (0-5 h). The mechanisms of metal toxicity and their importance to parasite transmission are discussed.

Review of the Rhopalothylacidae Guiart, 1935 (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha), with a description of the adult of Pintneriella musculicola Yamaguti, 1934 and a redescription of P. gymnorhynchoides (Guiart, 1935) comb. n.

Ian Beveridge, Ronald A. Campbell

Folia Parasitologica 50[1] 61-71 (2003) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2003.012  

The family Rhopalothylacidae (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha) is reviewed. The type species, Rhopalothylax gymnorhynchoides Guiart, 1935, is redescribed from the type specimens and belongs within the genus Pintneriella Yamaguti, 1934, previously described only from the plerocercus. Rhopalothylax therefore becomes a junior synonym of Pintneriella. The adult of Pintneriella musculicola Yamaguti, 1934 is described for the first time, from the shark Carcharias taurus Rafinesque from Australia. Pintneriella is characterised by two bothridia, a typical heteroacanthous armature, a unique, bipartite external seminal...

Observations on Babesiosoma mariae (Apicomplexa: Dactylosomatidae) from the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Nico J. Smit, Jo G. Van As, Angela J. Davies

Folia Parasitologica 50[1] 85-86 (2003) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2003.015  

Life cycle of the temporary fish parasite, Gnathia africana (Crustacea: Isopoda: Gnathiidae)

Nico J. Smit, Linda Basson, Jo G. Van As

Folia Parasitologica 50[2] 135-142 (2003) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2003.024  

Laboratory work was conducted to elucidate the life cycle of the South African gnathiid isopod, Gnathia africana Barnard, 1914. The natural fish hosts of this temporary parasite, the super klipfish Clinus superciliosus (Linnaeus, 1758), were exposed to gnathiid larvae in the laboratory. It was found that G. africana has three larval stages, consisting of three unfed (zuphea) and three fed (praniza) stages. First-, second- and third-stage zuphea larvae took an average of 2 h 18 min, 2 h 43 min and 10 h 8 min respectively to complete their feeding and the first- and second-stage praniza moulted at 8 and 10 days respectively into...

Effect of the salivary gland and midgut extracts from Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus (Acari: Ixodidae) on the growth of Borrelia garinii in vitro

Ivo Rudolf, Zdenek Hubálek

Folia Parasitologica 50[2] 159-160 (2003) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2003.029  

Life cycle and epizootiology of Amblyospora ferocis (Microspora: Amblyosporidae) in the mosquito Psorophora ferox (Diptera: Culicidae)

María V. Micieli, Juan J. García, James J. Becnel

Folia Parasitologica 50[3] 171-175 (2003) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2003.031  

A natural population of Psorophora ferox (Humbold, 1820) infected with the microsporidium Amblyospora ferocis García et Becnel, 1994 was sampled weekly during a seven-month survey in Punta Lara, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The sequence of development of A. ferocis in larvae of P. ferox leading to the formation of meiospores followed the developmental pathway previously reported for various species of Amblyospora. The natural prevalence of A. ferocis in the larval population of P. ferox ranged from 0.4% to 13.8%. Spores were detected in the ovaries of field-collected females of P. ferox and...

Rheumatoid factor-like IgM in Plasmodium berghei (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida) infections of BALB/c mice

Reuel Robert Hook Jr., Theodore J. Green, Melissa K. Stuart

Folia Parasitologica 50[3] 176-182 (2003) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2003.032  

Groups of female BALB/c mice infected by intravenous injection with 50 erythrocytes containing Plasmodium berghei Vincke et Lips, 1948 were sacrificed on days 3 through 12 after infection. Rheumatoid factor-like IgM (RF-IgM) and parasite-specific IgG levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum specimens and in culture medium removed from spleen cell cultures established at sacrifice. All four mouse IgG subisotypes were recognized by RF-IgM molecules induced by Plasmodium berghei infection, and in this regard, the parasite-induced RF-IgM response resembled that induced by lipopolysaccharide polyclonal activation....

Ecological analyses of the intestinal helminth communities of the wolf, Canis lupus, in Spain

Juan-Matías Segovia, Ricardo Guerrero, Jordi Torres, Jordi Miquel, Carlos Feliu

Folia Parasitologica 50[3] 231-236 (2003) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2003.041  

This work describes the ecological characteristics of the intestinal helminth communities of 50 wolves (Canis lupus L.) from Spain. The species found were classified into three groups according to prevalence, intensity and intestinal distribution. Taenia hydatigena Pallas, 1766 and Uncinaria stenocephala (Railliet, 1884) are the core species of the community. Taenia multiceps (Leske, 1780) is a secondary species. The rest of the species, Alaria alata (Goeze, 1782), Taenia serialis (Gervais, 1847), Taenia pisiformis (Bloch, 1780), Dipylidium caninum (Linnaeus, 1758), Mesocestoides sp. aff....

Transmission electron microscopy of presumed sensory receptors in the forebody papillae of Crepidostomum metoecus (Digenea: Allocreadiidae)

Zdeňka Žďárská, Jana Nebesářová

Folia Parasitologica 51[1] 27-32 (2004) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2004.004  

Five types of presumed ciliate sensory receptors were detected in the forebody papillae of the adult fish trematode, Crepidostomum metoecus (Braun, 1900). The cilia are short and submerged in a tegumental pit. The apical bulb part of all types of receptors observed is supported by a dense collar and connected to the tegument basal plasma membrane by a circular septate junction. In sensory receptors types I and III no rootlet is present; the bulbs of sensory receptors types III and IV contain an electron-dense formation.

First record of metacestodes of Mesocestoides sp. in the common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) in Europe, with an 18S rDNA characterisation of the isolate

Ivan Literák, Peter D. Olson, Boyko B. Georgiev, Marta Špakulová

Folia Parasitologica 51[1] 45-49 (2004) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2004.006  

Metacestodes of Mesocestoides sp. were recorded from Sturnus vulgaris (Passeriformes: Sturnidae) in the Czech Republic in April 2002. They were found in a cutaneous cyst and in the thoracic region of the body cavity of the bird. This is the first record of metacestodes of Mesocestoides sp. in this host species in Europe as well as the first finding of the formation of a cutaneous cyst provoked by this parasite. Additional specimens from Apodemus agrarius (Mammalia: Rodentia) from Bulgaria and Lacerta agilis (Reptilia: Squamata) from the Czech Republic were compared with that from S. vulgaris. Sequence data...

Hysterothylacium winteri sp. n. (Nematoda: Anisakidae), a parasite of Chilean rock cod, Eleginops maclovinus (Perciformes: Eleginopidae), from South Chile

Patricio Torres, María Soledad Soto

Folia Parasitologica 51[1] 55-60 (2004) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2004.008  

Hysterothylacium winteri sp. n. (Nematoda: Anisakidae) was collected from the intestine of a marine-estuarine fish, Eleginops maclovinus (Valenciennes) (Perciformes: Eleginopsidae), from Abtao in the Gulf of Ancud, Chile. Sixteen (51.6%) out of 31 fish were infected; the intensity was 1-10 (mean 4) worms/host. The new species belongs to the group of congeners possessing one double pair of postanal papillae. By possessing a lateral pair of phasmids situated near the tip of tail, H. winteri most closely resembles Hysterothylacium habena. The new species can be distinguished by the lip flanges forming broadly rounded points...

Two new species of Isospora (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from geckoes of the genus Rhacodactylus (Sauria: Gekkonidae) endemic to New Caledonia

David Modrý, Miloslav Jirků, Milan Veselý

Folia Parasitologica 51[4] 283-286 (2004)  

Coprological examination of New Caledonian geckoes of the genus Rhacodactylus Fitzinger, 1843 revealed two new species of coccidia. Isospora leachiani sp. n. from R. leachianus (Cuvier, 1829) has oval, colourless oocysts, measuring 21-26 × 16-18.5 µm. Sporocysts are ellipsoidal, 11-12.5 × 6.5-8 µm, with distinct Stieda and substieda bodies. Oocysts of Isospora sykorai sp. n. from R. ciliatus (Guichenot, 1866) are elongately oval to cylindrical, 20-23.5 × 11-14 µm; sporocysts of this species are ellipsoidal, 10-11.5 × 7-8 µm, with a slightly pointed end and Stieda and substieda bodies. Infected...

Redescription of Dracunculus globocephalus Mackin, 1927 (Nematoda: Dracunculidae), a parasite of the snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina

František Moravec, M.D. Little

Folia Parasitologica 51[4] 339-345 (2004)  

Dracunculus globocephalus Mackin, 1927 (Nematoda: Dracunculoidea) is redescribed from specimens collected from the mesentery of the snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina (L.), in Louisiana, USA. The use of scanning electron microscopy, applied for the first time in this species, made it possible to study details in the structure of the cephalic end and the arrangement of male caudal papillae that are difficult to observe under the light microscope. This species markedly differs from all other species of Dracunculus in having the spicules greatly unequal in size and shape, in the absence of a gubernaculum, and in the disposition...

Chigger mites of the genus Eutrombicula Ewing, 1938 (Acari: Trombiculidae) from Cuba, with the description of three new species

Milan Daniel, Alexandr A. Stekol'nikov

Folia Parasitologica 51[4] 359-366 (2004)  

Three new species of chigger mites, Eutrombicula cubensis sp. n. and E. anguliscuta sp. n. from lizards and bats, and E. leiocephali sp. n. from lizards, are described. One species, E. lipovskyana (Wolfenbarger, 1953), is recorded for the first time in Cuba. Data on distribution of E. alfreddugesi (Oudemans, 1910) in Cuba are reported.

Antimicrosporidial activity of (fluoro)quinolones in vitro and in vivo

Elizabeth S. Didier, Lisa Bowers, Mary E. Stovall, Dorothy Kuebler, Derek Mittleider, Paul J. Brindley, Peter J. Didier

Folia Parasitologica 52[1/2] 173-181 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.022  

Microsporidia are a cause of emerging and opportunistic infections in humans and animals. Although two drugs are currently being used to treat microsporidiosis, concerns exist that albendazole is only selective for inhibiting some species of microsporidia that infect mammals, and fumagillin appears to have been found to be toxic. During a limited sequence survey of the Vittaforma corneae (syn. Nosema corneum Shadduck, Meccoli, Davis et Font, 1990) genome, a partial gene encoding for the ParC topoisomerase IV subunit was identified. The purpose of this set of studies was to determine if fluoroquinolones, which target topoisomerase IV,...

Mice serve as paratenic hosts for the transmission of Caryospora duszynskii (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) between snakes of the genus Elaphe

David Modrý, Jan R. Šlapeta, Břetislav Koudela

Folia Parasitologica 52[3] 205-208 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.027  

Caryospora duszynskii Upton, Current et Barnard, 1984 was successfully transmitted to snakes of the genus Elaphe by feeding them previously infected mice. Fifty thousand oocysts were orally administered to two mouse strains, BALB/c and Crl:CD-1(ICR)BR, which were subsequently fed to captive-born coccidia-free Elaphe guttata (L.) in two respective independent experiments. Both E. guttata expelled C. duszynskii oocysts in their faeces, beginning on day 18 and 26 post infection (p.i.) and shed oocysts continuously through the end of the experiment, day 230 and 135 p.i., respectively. There were no parasitic stages or...

Description of Pseudorhabdosynochus seabassi sp. n. (Monogenea: Diplectanidae) from Lates calcarifer and revision of the phylogenetic position of Diplectanum grouperi (Monogenea: Diplectanidae) based on rDNA sequence data

Xiang Y. Wu, An X. Li, Xing Q. Zhu, Ming Q. Xie

Folia Parasitologica 52[3] 231-240 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.031  

Pseudorhabdosynochus seabassi sp. n. (Monogenea: Diplectanidae) from the gill filaments of Lates calcarifer Bloch, a marine teleost fish held in floating sea cages in Guangdong Province, China, is described based on morphological observations and molecular data. The shapes of the male copulatory organs (MCO) of Pseudorhabdosynochus spp. were the focus of this study. The typical proximal part of the MCO in most species of Pseudorhabdosynochus is reniform, heavily sclerotized, and divided into four chambers. However, the new species from L. calcarifer has a bulbous proximal region with four concentric layers of apparent...

Rhabdias kongmongthaensis sp. n. (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae) from Polypedates leucomystax (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) in Thailand

Yuriy Kuzmin, Vasyl V. Tkach, Jefferson A. Vaughan

Folia Parasitologica 52[4] 339-342 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.046  

Rhabdias kongmongthaensis sp. n. is described based on specimens found in the lungs of the tree frog Polypedates leucomystax (Gravenhorst) (Amphibia: Rhacophoridae) from Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand. The new species is similar to two North-American species, Rhabdias ranae and R. americanus, by presence of two lateral pseudolabia, each with two inner submedian protuberances. R. kongmongthaensis differs from both species by relative length and shape of the tail, and by its distribution and host specificity. Presence of lateral pseudolabia distinguishes the new species from the geographically closest Rhabdias...

A new genus of parasitic copepod (Siphonostomatoida: Caligidae) from the razorback scabbardfish, Assurger anzac (Trichiuridae) off New Caledonia

Geoffrey A. Boxshall, Jean-Lou Justine

Folia Parasitologica 52[4] 349-358 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.048  

A new genus and species, Avitocaligus assurgericola gen. et sp. n., of the family Caligidae is established based on an ovigerous female collected from a razorback scabbardfish, Assurger anzac (Alexander), caught off New Caledonia. This is the first record of any parasitic copepod from this fish. The new genus is placed in the Caligidae since it possesses the caligid cephalothorax incorporating the first to third pedigerous somites. It also exhibits biramous first and fourth swimming legs but lacks dorsal plates on the fourth pedigerous somite. This combination of characters serves to differentiate the new genus from existing genera. In...

Plectanocotyle major sp. n. (Monogenea: Plectanocotylidae), a gill parasite of Chelidonichthys obscurus (Teleostei: Triglidae) from the Mediterranean Sea

Lobna Boudaya, Lassad Neifar, Louis Euzet

Folia Parasitologica 53[1] 53-56 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.004  

Plectanocotyle major sp. n. (Monogenea: Polyopisthocotylea: Plectanocotylidae) is described from Chelidonichthys obscurus (Bloch et Schneider, 1801) collected from the Mediterranean coasts (Tunisia and France). The new species is compared to Plectanocotyle gurnardi collected on Chelidonichthys gurnardus and the only other valid species in the genus Plectanocotyle. The new species differs from P. gurnardi by the clamp size (137 µm vs 64 µm for clamp length and 110 µm vs 60 µm for clamp width, respectively) and the length of the male copulatory organ (107 µm vs 144 µm, respectively)....

Klaus Rohde (Ed.): Marine Parasitology.

Jiří Lom

Folia Parasitologica 53[1] 77-78 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.010  

CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood VIC 3066, Australia; CABI Publishing, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 8DE, United Kingdom, 2005. ISBN 0 643 09025 8, hardback, 565 pp. Price: £ 60.00.

A new trematode species Neoplagioporus kajika sp. n. (Digenea: Opecoelidae), parasitic in the Japanese fluvial sculpin, Cottus pollux (Osteichthyes: Scorpaeniformes: Cottidae), from Japan

Misako Urabe, Eriko Higa

Folia Parasitologica 53[3] 208-210 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.026  

The adult morphology is described and illustrated of Neoplagioporus kajika sp. n. (Digenea: Opecoelidae) found in the Japanese fluvial sculpin Cottus pollux Günther (Osteichthyes: Scorpaeniformes: Cottidae) collected in the Naka River at Terase Bridge, Narutake, Nakagawa Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. This new species is characterized by that the body shape is oval, that the intestinal caeca end posteriorly at the middle level of the testicular region, that the ovary is trilobed, and that the vitelline follicles are distributed between the pharyngeal level and usually the posterior end of body and fill up the lateral fields...

Two new species of Apoloniinae (Acari: Trombiculoidea: Leeuwenhoekiidae) from African small mammals, with a key to the species of the world

Wayne A. Brown

Folia Parasitologica 53[3] 217-222 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.028  

The genus Liuella Wang et Bai, 1992 is transferred from Trombiculidae to Apoloniinae and a new species Liuella monosetosa sp. n. described from specimens taken in Morocco from the hosts Gerbillus sp. and Meriones libycus Lichtenstein. A new species of Straelensia Vercammen-Grandjean et Kolebinova, 1968, Straelensia variocula sp. n. is described from specimens taken in Morocco and Burkina Faso from the hosts Genetta thierryi Matschie, Gerbillus sp., M. libycus and Elephantulus rozeti (Duvernoy). A list of species, hosts and localities and a key to the species of the Apoloniinae of...

Systematic status of Rhabdochona leucaspii Kritscher, 1979 (Nematoda: Rhabdochonidae)

František Moravec

Folia Parasitologica 53[3] 240 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.030  

Reexamination of the male holotype of the rhabdochonid nematode Rhabdochona leucaspii Kritscher, 1979, originally described from the intestine of the cyprinid fish Leucaspius prosperi [= Ladigesocypris ghigii (Gianferrari)] from Rhodes Island, Greece, confirmed its morphological and biometrical identity with Rhabdochona denudata (Dujardin, 1845), a common and widespread parasite of cyprinids and some other fishes in palaearctic Eurasia. Consequently, R. leucaspii is considered a junior synonym of R. denudata.

Isospora carliae sp. n. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the skink Carlia rhomboidalis (Peters) from Daintree Forest, North Queensland, Australia: description and fine-structural account of endogenous development

Ilan Paperna

Folia Parasitologica 53[4] 249-254 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.032  

Isospora carliae sp. n. is described from the blue-throated rainbow skink Carlia rhomboidalis (Peters), from Daintree Forest, North Queensland, Australia. Oocysts are ellipsoidal, 16.8-21.0 × 12.6-15.4 µm in size, with their two sporocysts, 9.0-14.0 × 7.0-9.24 µm in size, positioned along the wide axis. Sporozoites contain a distinct refractile body and are accompanied by a residuum. All endogenous development occurs within the host-cell nucleus. Nuclei are sometimes invaded by several merozoites, but only infections by a single parasite persist. Nuclei lodging meronts, mature microgamonts and premature macrogamonts have an...

Didymium-like myxogastrids (class Mycetozoa) as endocommensals of sea urchins (Sphaerechinus granularis)

Iva Dyková, Jiří Lom, Helena Dvořáková, Hana Pecková, Ivan Fiala

Folia Parasitologica 54[1] 1-12 (2007) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2007.001  

This paper sums up the results of light microscopical, ultrastructural and molecular studies of five strains of amoeboid organisms isolated as endocommensals from coelomic fluid of sea urchins, Sphaerechinus granularis (Lamarck), collected in the Adriatic Sea. The organisms are reported as Didymium-like myxogastrids. Of the life-cycle stages, the attached amoeboids, flagellated trophozoites, cysts and biflagellated swarmers are described. Formation of fruiting bodies was not observed. Although phylogenetic analyses of SSU rDNA sequences indicated a close relationship with Hyperamoeba dachnaya, our sea-urchin strains have not been...

Vitellogenesis and vitelline system in the pseudophyllidean tapeworm Paraechinophallus japonicus: ultrastructural and cytochemical studies

Céline Levron, Larisa G. Poddubnaya, Roman Kuchta, Mark Freeman, Tomáš Scholz

Folia Parasitologica 54[1] 43-50 (2007) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2007.006  

The vitellogenesis of Paraechinophallus japonicus (Yamaguti, 1934), the first pseudophyllidean tapeworm of the family Echinophallidae studied using transmission electron microscope, is described on the basis of ultrastructural observations of specimens from the benthopelagic fish Psenopsis anomala (Temminck et Schlegel, 1844) (Perciformes: Centrolophidae). The process of vitellogenesis in P. japonicus follows the same general pattern observed in other tapeworms. Five stages of vitellocyte development have been distinguished. The first stage corresponds to immature cells containing ribosomes and mitochondria. The second stage of...

Redescription of Monorcholepis dujardini (Krabbe, 1869) and M. passerellae (Webster, 1952) (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea: Aploparaksidae) in passerine birds from the Holarctic Region

Svetlana Bondarenko, Jurijus Komisarovas

Folia Parasitologica 54[1] 68-80 (2007) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2007.009  

Two species of avian tapeworms, Мonorcholepis dujardini (Krabbe, 1869) and M. passerellae (Webster, 1952), of the cyclophyllidean family Aploparaksidae Mayhew, 1925 (earlier included in the Hymenolepididae) are redescribed. Relative to congeners, the morphology of the strobila of both species shows strong similarities including a unique form of the cirrus. Separation of these species, however, can be based on the number (40-53 and 25-31, respectively) and size (18-25 µm and 14-18 µm) of the rostellar hooks, although their shape in specimens of both species varies considerably. We examined specimens of Monorcholepis...

Haliotrema banana sp. n. (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae) from Bodianus perditio (Perciformes: Labridae) off New Caledonia

L.H.S. Lim, Jean-Lou Justine

Folia Parasitologica 54[3] 203-207 (2007) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2007.027  

Sixteen labrid species, including four Bodianus spp., were examined in New Caledonia (South Pacific) and monogeneans were found only on Bodianus perditio (Quoy et Gaimard). This species, Haliotrema banana sp. n., is the second Haliotrema species to be described from the labrids, the first being Haliotrema bodiani Yamaguti, 1968 from Bodianus albotaeniatus (Valenciennes), previously designated as B. bilunulatus (Lacépède). The new species is similar to H. bodiani in soft reproductive parts but differs from it in the morphologies of the hard haptoral parts, mainly in the shape of the dorsal...