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- Current ISI Impact Factor: IF 2025 = 2.0
- 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
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.
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.
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.
Torrey E.F. 2024: The linking of toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia. Folia Parasitol. 71: 016.
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.
Postolache T.T. 2025: Toxoplasma gondii and suicidal behaviour: discovery, cross-diagnostic confirmation and pathway exploration. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 72: 025.
Vyas A. 2024: Nuts and bolts of the behavioural manipulation by Toxoplasma gondii. Special Issue on Toxoplasmosis. Folia Parasitol. 71: 017.
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.
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.
Folia Parasitologica - Most viewed articles
Results 91 to 120 of 3110:
A large-scale study on the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in humans in Iran
Reza Kalantari, Mahsa Esmaeilifallah, Rasool Jafari, Hossein Mirhendi Esfahani, Hossein Yousofi Darani
Folia Parasitologica 70:004 (2023) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2023.004 
It is estimated that nearly one-third of the world's human population is infected with Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908). Human infection is commonly asymptomatic, multifaceted, and can manifest in severe pathological forms in congenital toxoplasmosis and immunocompromised individuals. This study attempted to recognise the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in Iranian residents referred to medical laboratories for toxoplasmosis tests throughout the country. This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from 2015 to 2019 on individuals referred to diagnostic laboratories in 26 provinces, and these laboratories sent...
Detection, identification and genotyping of Borrelia spp. in ticks of Coastal-Karst and Littoral-Inner Carniola regions in Slovenia
Jana Šušnjar, Tjaša Cerar Kišek, Katja Strašek Smrdel, Eva Ružić-Sabljić, Katja Adam, Vladimir Ivović
Folia Parasitologica 70:007 (2023) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2023.007
The density and spread of tick vector species have increased throughout Europe in the last 30 years, leading to an increase of Lyme borreliosis cases, including in Slovenia. The aim of this study was to isolate Borrelia strains and determine the prevalence of B. burgdorferi sensu lato and B. miyamotoi in adults of Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus) collected in 2019 in the two regions of the country (Coastal-Karst and Littoral-Inner Carniola) by cultivation and PCR. We isolated B. burgdorferi s.l. by culture method in 28/559 (5%) ticks from both regions. Culture-negative samples (531/559, i.e., 95%) were additionally tested...
Parasite communities of the golden snapper Lutjanus inermis (Perciformes: Lutjanidae): inter-annual variations during strange climatic events
Juan Violante-González, Princessa J. Villalba-Vasquez, Scott Monks, Carlos Valencia-Cayetano, Nataly G. Santos-Bustos, Shirley S. Salas-Villalobos, Dolores I. Carpio-Hernández, Francisco Valente-Alarcón
Folia Parasitologica 70:010 (2023) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2023.010
Strange oceanographic events such as El Niño and La Niña may have indirect effects on the local transmission processes of intestinal parasites due to the reduction or increase in populations of potential intermediate or definitive hosts. A total of 713 individuals of Lutjanus inermis (Peters) were collected over an 8-year period (October 2015 to July 2022) from Acapulco Bay, Mexico. Parasite communities in L. inermis were quantified and analysed to determine if they experienced interannual variations in species composition and structure as a result of local biotic and abiotic factors influenced by oceanographic events, such...
Seals, fish, humans and parasites in the Baltic: ecology, evolution and history
Kurt Buchmann
Folia Parasitologica 70:011 (2023) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2023.011
Evolutionary and ecological processes affecting the interactions between hosts and parasites in the aquatic environment are at display in the Baltic Sea, a young and ecologically unstable marine ecosystem, where fluctuating abiotic and biotic factors affect the parasitofauna in fish. The dynamic infections of Baltic cod, a subpopulation of the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua Linnaeus), with third stage anisakid nematode larvae of Pseudoterranova decipiens (Krabbe, 1878) and Contracaecum osculatum (Rudolphi, 1802) have increased following a significant increase of the Baltic grey seal Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius) population...
Tetraspanins from the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini stimulate cholangiocyte migration and inflammatory cytokine production
Apisit Ruangsuwast, Michael J. Smout, Paul J. Brindley, Alex Loukas, Thewarach Laha, Sujittra Chaiyadet
Folia Parasitologica 70:017 (2023) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2023.017
The liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini (Poirier, 1886) (Digenea) secretes extracellular vesicles (EVs) bearing CD63-like tetraspanins on their surface. Fluke EVs are actively internalised by host cholangiocytes in the bile ducts, where they drive pathology and promote neoplasia through induction of cellular proliferation and secretion of inflammatory cytokines. We investigated the effects of tetraspanins of the CD63 superfamily by co-culturing recombinant forms of the large extracellular loop (LEL) of O. viverrini tetraspanin-2 (rLEL-Ov-TSP-2) and tetraspanin-3 (rLEL-Ov-TSP-3) with non-cancerous human bile duct (H69)...
Post-therapeutic cure criterion in chronic Chagas disease using Trypanosoma cruzi chimeric proteins
Tycha Bianca Sabaini Pavan, Leonardo Maia Leony, Wayner Vieira de Souza, Emily Ferreira Santos, Ramona Tavares Daltro, Natália Erdens Maron Freitas, Larissa Carvalho Medrado Vasconcelos, Fernanda Lopes Habib, Ângelo Antônio Oliveira Silva, Paola Alejandra Fiorani Celedon, Daniel Dias Sampaio, Nilson Ivo Tonin Zanchin, Silvia Andrea Longhi, Fred Luciano Neves Santos
Folia Parasitologica 71:004 (2024) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2024.004
Chagas disease (CD) is a neglected disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909. Causative treatment can be achieved with two drugs: benznidazole or Nifurtimox. There are some gaps that hinder progress in eradicating the disease. There is no test that can efficiently assess cure control after treatment. Currently, the decline in anti-T. cruzi antibody titres is assessed with conventional serological tests, which can take years. However, the search for new markers of cure must continue to fill this gap. The present study aimed to evaluate the decline in serological titres using chimeric proteins after treatment with benznidazole in...
Effects of three kinds of Chinese herbs on growth performance, oocysts output and gut microbiota in growing lambs with coccidiosis
Yanfeng He, Zhanming Wang, Shijie Li, Pan Chen, Kaili Liu, Manman Li, Yingmin Wang, Aftab Shaukat, Muhammad Abdullah, Senyang Li, Shucheng Huang, Fuchun Jian
Folia Parasitologica 71:009 (2024) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2024.009
Coccidiosis is a protozoan intestinal disease that reduces the production of the sheep industry and causes large economic losses for sheep. Although chemically synthesised drugs are routinely employed to treat coccidiosis in sheep, the anticoccidial drug resistance and drug residues in edible meat have prompted an urgent search for alternatives. Herein, the anticoccidial properties of diclazuril, a conventional anticoccidial drug, and Allium sativum, Houttuynia cordata and Portulaca oleracea were assessed. Forty 45-day-old lambs naturally infected with Eimeria spp. were selected and randomly divided into five groups. The...
Helminths collected from some freshwater fishes and amphibians in Ecuador and Venezuela
František Moravec, Antonín Prouza
Folia Parasitologica 71:012 (2024) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2024.012
The present paper comprises a systematic survey of helminths (trematodes, an acanthocephalan and nematodes) found in nine species of freshwater fishes in Ecuador collected in March 1999 and those (a trematode and acanthocephalans) collected from an amphibian and two species of freshwater fishes in Venezuela in 1992, 1996 and 2001. The following 17 helminth species were recorded: Trematoda: Prosthenhystera ornamentosa sp. n., P. obesa (Diesing, 1850), Crassicutis intermedius (Szidat, 1954), C. cichlasomae Manter, 1936 and Glypthelmins eleutherodactyli sp. n. Acanthocephala: Quadrigyrus torquatus...
Description of three new species of Kudoa Meglitsch, 1947 (Myxozoa: Multivalvulida) in commercial marine fishes from southern China, and new host records
Ying-Chun Li, Ken Inoue, Jin-Yong Zhang, Hiroshi Sato
Folia Parasitologica 71:018 (2024) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2024.018
Multivalvulidan myxosporeans (Multivalvulida) of the genera Unicapsula Davis, 1924 and Kudoa Meglitsch, 1947 are mostly causative agents of latent and imperceptible infection in marine fishes. However, they are sometimes incriminated in causing post-mortem myoliquefaction or unsightly cyst formation in commercial fish. Despite the great commercial impacts of multivalvulidan infection, the biodiversity, host range and epidemiology of multivalvulidan species remain to be explored further, including infection of alternative annelid hosts. Therefore, this study aimed to identify multivalvulidan species and their host and/or distribution...
Redescription of Proteocephalus fallax La Rue, 1911 (Cestoda) and a list of proteocephalid tapeworms of whitefish (Coregonus spp.)
Tomáš Scholz, Alain de Chambrier, Jan Brabec, Rune Knudsen, Isabel Blasco-Costa
Folia Parasitologica 71:019 (2024) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2024.019
Tapeworms of the genus Proteocephalus Weinland, 1858 (Cestoda: Proteocephalidae) are common and widespread intestinal parasites of whitefish (Coregonus spp., Salmonidae: Coregoninae). Previous taxonomic studies, based solely on morphology and inconsistently fixed specimens, concluded that all salmoniform fish, including whitefish, are parasitised by a single euryxenous and highly polymorphic species, Proteocephalus longicollis (Zeder, 1800). However, recent molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed the existence of several species specific to individual genera or even species of salmoniform fish. In this study, Proteocephalus...
High frequency of point mutations in the nitroreductase 4 and 6 genes of Trichomonas vaginalis associated with metronidazole resistance
Isabel Iturrieta-González, Pamela Olivares-Ferretti, Alejandro Hidalgo, Fabiola Zambrano, Ximena Ossa, Flery Fonseca-Salamanca, Angélica Melo
Folia Parasitologica 71:021 (2024) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2024.021
Trichomoniasis, a globally distributed sexually transmitted infection, is caused by the urogenital parasite Trichomonas vaginalis Donné, 1836 affecting both women and men. The treatment of choice is metronidazole (MTZ). In the present study, 15 samples of vaginal discharge and urine were analysed by sequencing nitroreductase genes (ntr4 and ntr6). An in silico model was structured to illustrate the location of point mutations (PM) in the protein. The ntr4 gene presented four PMs: G76C (10/10), C213G (9/10), C318A (5/10) and G424A (1/10), while the ntr6 gene had eight PMs; G593A (13/13) the most frequent, G72T...
Studies on trematodes and acanthocephalans from freshwater fishes of Hubei Province, central China, with the erection of a new genus Quadrihexaspiron gen. n. (Acanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae)
František Moravec, Pin Nie
Folia Parasitologica 72:001 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.001
The present paper comprises a systematic survey of trematodes and acanthocephalans based on helminthological examinations of 64 specimens of 14 species of freshwater fishes, belonging to six families of four fish orders, mostly from localities in Hubei Province, central China, collected in the autumn of 2002. A total of 15 trematode species (in 12 families) and 5 acanthocephalan species (in four families) was recorded. Almost all parasites are briefly described and illustrated and problems concerning their morphology, taxonomy, hosts and geographical distribution are discussed. Some findings represent new host and geographical records. New acanthocephalan...
Variability in Trypanosoma cruzi susceptibility among species of kissing bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) in Mexico
Alberto Antonio-Campos, Ernesto Ramírez-Moreno, Víctor Sánchez-Cordero, Nancy Rivas, Ricardo Alejandre-Aguilar
Folia Parasitologica 72:011 (2025) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2025.011
Chagas disease, caused by the kinetoplastid Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909), and transmitted by triatomine bugs, poses a significant public health challenge. Variability in the susceptibility of different triatomine species to T. cruzi infection can profoundly influence disease transmission dynamics and control measures. In this study, we assessed the susceptibility to T. cruzi infection in the first and third nymphal stages across eight triatomine species to T. cruzi infection using experimental inoculation with the NINOA strain and optical microscopy. The evaluated species were Dipetalogaster maximus (Uhler), Triatoma...
Some helminth parasites from Morelet\'s crocodile, Crocodylus moreletii, from Yucatan, Mexico
František Moravec
Folia Parasitologica 48[1] 47-62 (2001) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2001.008
An examination of three specimens of the Morelet's crocodile, Crocodylus moreletii Duméril et Bibron, from the Lagoon of Celestún, Yucatan, Mexico revealed the presence of the following eight helminth species: Acanthostomum americanum (Pérez Vigueras, 1956), Pelaezia loossi (Pérez Vigueras, 1956), Telorchis sp. juv., Pseudoneodiplostomum groschafti sp. n. (all trematodes), Dujardinascaris helicina (Molin, 1860), Contracaecum sp. Type 2 larvae, Micropleura sp. and Paratrichosoma recurvum (Solger, 1877) (all nematodes). Pseudoneodiplostomum groschafti sp. n. is established by indication...
The interrelationships of metazoan parasites: a review of phylum- and higher-level hypotheses from recent morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses
Jan Zrzavý
Folia Parasitologica 48[2] 81-103 (2001) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2001.013
Phylogeny of seven groups of metazoan parasitic groups is reviewed, based on both morphological and molecular data. The Myxozoa (=Malacosporea + Myxosporea) are most probably related to the egg-parasitic cnidarian Polypodium (Hydrozoa?: Polypodiozoa); the other phylogenetic hypotheses are discussed and the possible non-monophyly of the Cnidaria (with the Polypodiozoa-Myxozoa clade closest to the Triploblastica) is suggested. The Mesozoa is a monophyletic group, possibly closely related to the (monophyletic) Acoelomorpha; whether the Acoelomorpha and Mesozoa represent the basalmost triploblast clade(s) or a derived platyhelminth subclade may...
Light and scanning electron microscopy of Myxobolus porofilus sp. n. (Myxosporea: Myxobolidae) infecting the visceral cavity of Prochilodus lineatus (Pisces: Characiformes: Prochilodontidae) cultivated in Brazil
Edson A. Adriano, Sarah Arana, Paulo S. Ceccarelli, Nelson S. Cordeiro
Folia Parasitologica 49[4] 259-262 (2002) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2002.049
Myxobolus porofilus sp. n. is described infecting the visceral cavity of Prochilodus lineatus (Valenciennes, 1836) cultivated in São Paulo State, Brazil. The plasmodial form of the parasite is 3-5 mm in length and appeared compressed between the wall of the visceral cavity and the pyloric caecum, reposing on this organ. The spores are small (length 5.7 ± 0.3 µm, width 4.8 ± 0.2 µm; mean ± SD) and round to elliptical in frontal view. The valve surfaces are smooth and have sutural folds. The polar capsules are ovoid, small (length 1.6 ± 0.1 µm, width 1.1 ± 0.1 µm) and equal...
Spermidine metabolism in parasitic protozoa - a comparison to the situation in prokaryotes, viruses, plants and fungi
Annette E. Kaiser, Andrea M. Gottwald, Carolin S. Wiersch, Walter A. Maier, Hanns M. Seitz
Folia Parasitologica 50[1] 3-18 (2003) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2003.002
Targeting polyamines of parasitic protozoa in chemotherapy has attracted attention because polyamines might reveal novel drug targets for antiparasite therapies (Müller et al. 2001). The biological function of the triamine spermidine in parasitic protozoa has not been studied in great detail although the results obtained mainly imply three different functions, i.e., cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and biosynthesis of macromolecules. Sequence information from the malaria genome project databases and inhibitor studies provide evidence that the current status of spermidine research has to be extended since enzymes of spermidine metabolism are...
A review of the development of two types of human skeletal muscle infections from microsporidia associated with pathology in invertebrates and cold-blooded vertebrates
Ann Cali, Louis M. Weiss, Peter M. Takvorian
Folia Parasitologica 52[1/2] 51-61 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.007
Traditionally, the Microsporidia were primarily studied in insects and fish. There were only a few human cases of microsporidiosis reported until the advent of AIDS, when the number of human microsporidian infections dramatically increased and the importance of these new pathogens to medicine became evident. Over a dozen different kinds of microsporidia infecting humans have been reported. While some of these infections were identified in new genera (Enterocytozoon, Vittaforma), there were also infections identified from established genera such as Pleistophora and Encephalitozoon. The genus Pleistophora, originally...
Microsporidian xenomas in fish seen in wider perspective
Jiří Lom, Iva Dyková
Folia Parasitologica 52[1/2] 69-81 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.010
The history of understanding xenoparasitic complexes or xenomas provoked in the host cell by various protists and especially by microsporidia is outlined. Microsporidia have been known to produce xenomas in oligochaetes (e.g., genera Bacillidium, Burkea, Hrabyeia, Jirovecia, species of the collective group Microsporidium), crustaceans (e.g., Abelspora, Mrazekia), insects (e.g., Polydispyrenia, Thelohania) and poikilothermic vertebrates, mostly fish (Alloglugea, Amazonspora, Glugea, Ichthyosporidium, Loma, Microfilum, Microgemma, Neonosemoides,...
Investigations into microsporidian methionine aminopeptidase type 2: a therapeutic target for microsporidiosis
Hong Zhang, Huan Huang, Ann Cali, Peter M. Takvorian, Xiaochuan Feng, Ghou Zhou, Louis M. Weiss
Folia Parasitologica 52[1/2] 182-192 (2005) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2005.023
The Microsporidia have been reported to cause a wide range of clinical diseases particularly in patients that are immunosuppressed. They can infect virtually any organ system and cases of gastrointestinal infection, encephalitis, ocular infection, sinusitis, myositis and disseminated infection are well described in the literature. While benzimidazoles such as albendazole are active against many species of Microsporidia, these drugs do not have significant activity against Enterocytozoon bieneusi. Fumagillin, ovalicin and their analogues have been demonstrated to have antimicrosporidial activity in vitro and in animal models of microsporidiosis....
Occurrence of the microsporidian parasite Nucleospora salmonis in four species of salmonids from the Massif Central of France
Hicham El Alaoui, Stéphane J. Grésoviac, Christian P. Vivarès
Folia Parasitologica 53[1] 37-43 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.002
Nucleospora salmonis (Hedrick, Groff et Baxa, 1991), an intranuclear microsporidian parasite of marine and freshwater fish, causes diseases mainly in salmonid species. Losses have been reported in stocks of salmonid fish reared in the region of Auvergne (France). The cause of chronic mortalities in the local host species raised in aquaculture and destined for supplementation of the river system Loire-Allier was examined. The presence of N. salmonis was confirmed by PCR and histology in Salmo salar L. previously and in newly investigated salmonid species, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta fario L., Thymallus thymallus...
Effect of salivary gland extract from Ixodes ricinus ticks on the proliferation of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto in vivo
Martina Macháčková, Miroslav Oborník, Jan Kopecký
Folia Parasitologica 53[2] 153-158 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.020
Saliva-activated transmission (SAT) of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto was demonstrated using real-time PCR and salivary gland extract (SGE) from partially fed Ixodes ricinus ticks. C3H/HeN mice were injected intradermally with 1.5 × 103 spirochetes mixed with 40 µg of SGE per mouse. The control group was inoculated with the same dose of spirochetes without SGE. The accelerating effect of SGE on spirochete proliferation was demonstrated on day 1 post infection, when a 4.2-fold increase in spirochetes was found in the skin and a 10-fold increase in the blood, compared with control mice. The data represent the first...
Endogenous development of Hemolivia mauritanica (Apicomplexa: Adeleina: Haemogregarinidae) in the marginated tortoise Testudo marginata (Reptilia: Testudinidae): evidence from experimental infection
Pavel Široký, Martin Kamler, Fredric L. Frye, Petr Fictum, David Modrý
Folia Parasitologica 54[1] 13-18 (2007) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2007.002
Six young tortoises Testudo marginata Schoepff, 1792 were experimentally infected with Hemolivia mauritanica (Sergent et Sergent, 1904). The prepatent period ranged from 6 to 8 weeks. Young, smaller, club-like forms (6-9 × 3-6 µm) of gametocytes appeared in the peripheral blood first, whereas mature, elongated, cylindrical forms (9-12 × 5-7 µm) were detected after 1-2 weeks and predominated during later patency. Three of the infected tortoises were euthanized and dissected to study the endogenous stages. Meronts occurred in the cells of the reticulo-endothelial system and in the erythrocytes; these were observed mostly in...
Schistosomes causing cercarial dermatitis: a mini-review of current trends in systematics and of host specificity and pathogenicity
Libuše Kolářová
Folia Parasitologica 54[2] 81-87 (2007) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2007.010
The human infection known under the names cercarial dermatitis or swimmers' itch is generally associated with swimming in lakes all over the world, however, a number of outbreaks of cercarial dermatitis developing in salt or brackish waters are also reported. The disease presents as allergic reaction which is able to trap and eliminate the parasites in the skin. However, the infection can be linked to more than skin symptoms under certain circumstances. Recent studies on bird schistosomes have shown that during primary infections of noncompatible hosts (mice) the parasites may migrate through visceral and nervous tissues of mammals. Up to date, cercarial...
A revised description of Gyrodactylus cichlidarum Paperna, 1968 (Gyrodactylidae) from the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus niloticus (Cichlidae), and its synonymy with G. niloticus Cone, Arthur et Bondad-Reantaso, 1995
Adriana García-Vásquez, Haakon Hansen, Andrew P. Shinn
Folia Parasitologica 54[2] 129-140 (2007) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2007.018
A recent infestation of Gyrodactylus cichlidarum Paperna, 1968 on yolk sac fry of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus niloticus (L.), in an isolated aquarium system in the UK resulted in high mortalities and provided an opportunity to study this species in greater detail. A tentative identification was made using the measurements and drawings of the ventral bar and hamuli provided in the original description; however, details on the morphology of the marginal hooks were lacking. A comparison of the gyrodactylid material collected from O. n. niloticus with the holotype of G. cichlidarum, the only known available specimen,...
A standardised terminology of the embryonic envelopes and associated developmental stages of tapeworms (Platyhelminthes: Cestoda)
David Bruce Conn, Zdzisław Świderski
Folia Parasitologica 55[1] 42-52 (2008) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2008.006
Over the past 40 years, much has been published on the ultrastructure and cellular development of embryonic structures in a wide range of cestodes. However, the literature contains many discrepancies in both terminology and interpretations because of the facts that these organisms are phylogenetically diverse within their respective orders and families, the habitats that affect embryonic envelope structure are diverse, and the work has been done in various laboratories around the world. This review and synthesis was initiated by a working group of biologists from around the world convened at the Fifth International Workshop on Cestode Systematics and...
The genus Hyalomma Koch, 1844. IV. Redescription of all parasitic stages of H. (Euhyalomma) lusitanicum Koch, 1844 and the adults of H. (E.) franchinii Tonelli Rondelli, 1932 (Acari: Ixodidae) with a first description of its immature stages
Dmitry A. Apanaskevich, Maria Margarida Santos-Silva, Ivan G. Horak
Folia Parasitologica 55[1] 61-74 (2008) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2008.009
Hyalomma (Euhyalomma) lusitanicum Koch, 1844 and Hyalomma (Euhyalomma) franchinii Tonelli Rondelli, 1932 are amongst the most poorly studied of those species within the genus Hyalomma Koch, 1844 that are restricted to the Mediterranean region. No comprehensive morphological study has been done to date, and the immature stages of H. (E.) franchinii have not been described. Here all the parasitic stages of H. (E.) lusitanicum and the adults of H. (E.) franchinii are redescribed, and the immature stages of the latter species are described for...
New species of Cryptosporidium Tyzzer, 1907 (Apicomplexa) from amphibian host: morphology, biology and phylogeny
Miloslav Jirků, Andrea Valigurová, Břetislav Koudela, Jaroslav Křížek, David Modrý, Jan Šlapeta
Folia Parasitologica 55[2] 81-94 (2008) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2008.011
Cryptosporidium fragile sp. n. (Apicomplexa) is described from black-spined toads, Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider) (Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae) from the Malay Peninsula. The parasitized animals were directly imported from Malaysia and harboured C. fragile at the time of arrival. Oocysts were subspherical to elliptical with irregular contour in optical section, measuring 6.2 (5.5-7.0) × 5.5 (5.0-6.5) µm. Oocyst wall was smooth and colourless in light microscopy. The endogenous development of C. fragile in the stomach of black-spined toad was analysed in detail using light and electron microscopy. Cryptosporidian...
A new species of Ergasilus (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Ergasilidae) from coastal fishes of the Mexican Pacific
Eduardo Suárez-Morales, Ana María Santana-Piñeros
Folia Parasitologica 55[3] 224-230 (2008) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2008.030
A new species of the cyclopoid copepod genus Ergasilus von Nordmann, 1832 is described based on adult female specimens removed from the gills of the yellow snapper Lutjanus argentiventris (Peters) and the yellowfin snook Centropomus robalito Jordan et Gilbert from a Pacific coastal system of Mexico. The new species Ergasilus davidi sp. n. has a combination of characters that includes a two-segmented first leg endopod, a three-segmented fourth leg endopod, and the presence of a single seta on the first antennular segment. These characters are shared with 14 other congeners known mainly from Brazil and North America. It differs from...
The life cycle of Myxobolus lentisuturalis (Myxozoa: Myxobolidae), from goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus), involves a Raabeia-type actinospore
Monica Caffara, Elena Raimondi, Daniela Florio, Federica Marcer, Francesco Quaglio, Maria Letizia Fioravanti
Folia Parasitologica 56[1] 6-12 (2009) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2009.002
We studied a natural infection of the oligochaete Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard, 1892 with the Raabeia-type actinosporean stage of Myxobolus lentisuturalis Dyková, Fiala et Nie, 2002 which infected goldfish Carassius auratus auratus (L.) in Italy, using molecular analysis of the SSU rRNA gene. The existence of intraoligochaete development shows that this parasite follows the life-cycle pattern described by Wolf and Markiw (1984) for Myxobolus cerebralis. Histological examinations of the goldfish infected by M. lentisuturalis showed at low magnification the presence of two bilateral crescent-shaped masses in the dorsal...