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Discovery Of A 240 Million Year Old Nematode Parasite Egg In A Cynodont Coprolite Sheds Light On The Early Origin Of Pinworms In Vertebrates, Jean-Pierre Hugot, Scott Gardner, Victor Borba, Priscilla Araujo, Daniela Leles, Átila Da-Rosa, Juliana Dutra, Luis Fernando Ferreira, Adauto Araújo

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: We report the discovery of a nematode parasite egg (Nemata: Oxyurida) from a coprolite closely associated with the remains of several species of Cynodontia, dated to 240 million years old. This finding is particularly significant because this is the oldest record of an oxyurid nematode yet discovered, and because the cynodonts are considered a stem-group of the mammals.

Methods: We extracted material from a fully mineralized coprolite by both scraping the surface, and removing fragments from its interior with clean dental instruments used a single time. A single drop of glycerol from a new vial was added as a …

Erection Of The Haploporid Genus Litosaccus N. G. And Its Phylogenetic Relationship Within The Haploporidae Nicoll, 1914, Michael J. Andres, Eric E. Pulis, Thomas A. Cribb, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Litosaccus n. g. is erected for Paralecithobotrys brisbanensis Martin, 1974 n. comb. for which an amended description is given. The new genus is morphologically similar to the haploporine Lecithobotrys Looss, 1902 but with a more elongate and cylindrical body; an infundibuliform oral sucker; a thin-walled hermaphroditic sac; a shallow genital atrium; and unequal, cylindrical, and elongated caeca. It also resembles Pseudolecithobotrys Blasco-Costa, Gibson, Balbuena, Raga & Kostadinova, 2009, but the only member of that genus has a hermaphroditic sac that is twice the length of the ventral sucker, a hermaphroditic duct with intensely staining cuboidal cells, an elongate testis, and …

Genetics Of The Pig Tapeworm In Madagascar Reveal A History Of Human Dispersal And Colonization, Tetsuya Yanagida, Jean-François Carod, Yasuhito Sako, Minoru Nakao, Eric P. Hoberg, Akira Ito

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

An intricate history of human dispersal and geographic colonization has strongly affected the distribution of human pathogens. The pig tapeworm Taenia solium occurs throughout the world as the causative agent of cysticercosis, one of the most serious neglected tropical diseases. Discrete genetic lineages of T. solium in Asia and Africa/Latin America are geographically disjunct; only in Madagascar are they sympatric. Linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence has indicated that the people in Madagascar have mixed ancestry from Island Southeast Asia and East Africa. Hence, anthropogenic introduction of the tapeworm from Southeast Asia and Africa had been postulated. This study shows that …

New Species Of Ctenomys Blainville 1826 (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae) From The Lowlands And Central Valleys Of Bolivia, Scott Lyell Gardner, Jorge Salazar-Bravo, Joseph A. Cook

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

The genus Ctenomys Blainville 1826 is one of the most diverse of South American hystricognath rodents. Currently, nine species of tuco-tucos are reported from Bolivia, four at elevations above 2,000 m and five inhabiting the lowlands (< 1,000 m). In the present paper, morphology, karyology, and phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences for a mitochondrial locus were used to assess the taxonomic status of specimens of Ctenomys from localities beyond the previously known ranges of these rodents in the departments of Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, and Tarija. Based on these analyses, we describe four new species in the genus Ctenomys, all apparently endemic to the country. In addition, we place Ctenomys goodfellowi Thomas 1921 in synonymy under C. boliviensis Waterhouse 1848 and confirm the presence of C. nattereri …

Hymenolepis Robertrauschi N. Sp. From Grasshopper Mice Onychomys Spp. In New Mexico And Nebraska, U.S.A., Scott Lyell Gardner, Brent A. Luedders, Donald W. Duszynski

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

From 1989 through 1998, a total of 358 grasshopper mice were collected and examined for helminth and protistan parasites from several habitat types on the Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site in New Mexico, U.S.A. Of these, 205 individuals were identified as Onychomys leucogaster (Wied-Neuwied 1841) and 153 individuals were classified as O. arenicola Mearns 1896. Many individuals of Onychomys were infected with a new species of Hymenolepididae (Hymenolepis robertrauschi), which is herein described, illustrated, and compared with all species of Nearctic Hymenolepis s. str. Hymenolepis robertrauschi was found in 26% of the individuals of O. arenicola …

Redescription Of Oligacanthorhynchus Microcephalus (Rudolphi, 1819) Schmidt 1972 (Syn. Oligacanthorhynchus Tortuosa (Leidy, 1850) Schmidt 1972) (Acanthocephala: Oligacanthorhynchidae), Dennis J. Richardson, Scott Lyell Gardner, Jonathan W. Allen Jr.

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Oligacanthorhynchus microcephalus (Rudolphi, 1819) Schmidt, 1972 was originally described from the philander opossum Caluromys philander from Brazil. Oligacanthorhynchus tortuosa (Leidy, 1850) Schmidt, 1972 was originally described from the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) in North America. Six years after describing O. tortuosa, Leidy indicated the synonomy of O. tortuosa with O. microcephalus. This taxonomic view persisted for decades until Van Cleave, in 1924, recognized the validity of O. tortuosa, apparently without examining the type material of O. microcephalus. Subsequent workers have recognized two species of Oligacanthorhynchus from New World opossums: O. microcephalus from South American …

Large And Medium-Sized Mammals Of Carajás National Forest, Pará State, Brazil, Andréa Siqueira Carvalho, Frederico Drumond Martins, Francilma Mendes Dutra, Donald Gettinger, Fernanda Martins-Hatano, Helena De Godoy Bergallo

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

The Carajás National Forest is located in the Amazonian region, Pará State, Brazil and is part of a mosaic of conservation units comprising over one million hectares. This region has been explored for its mineral reserves, but knowledge of the distribution of animals and plants is lacking. The objective of this paper is to provide a list of the medium and large-sized mammals recorded from the Carajás NF. We used four methods to record mammals: linear transects, camera traps, records of road-killed animals, and opportunistic observations. We recorded 45 species distributed in nine taxonomic orders, eight of them currently on …

Varestrongylus Eleguneniensis Sp. N. (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae): A Widespread, Multi-Host Lungworm Of Wild North American Ungulates, With An Emended Diagnosis For The Genus And Explorations Of Biogeography, Guilherme G. Verocai, Susan J. Kutz, Manon Simard, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: A putative new species of Varestrongylus has been recently recognized in wild North American ungulates based on the ITS-2 sequences of larvae isolated from feces during a wide geographic survey. No taxonomic description was provided, as adult specimens were not examined. Methods: Lungworm specimens were collected in the terminal bronchioles of muskoxen from Quebec, and a woodland caribou from central Alberta, Canada. The L3 stage was recovered from experimentally infected slugs (Deroceras spp.). Description of specimens was based on comparative morphology and integrated approaches. Molecular identity was determined by PCR and sequencing of the ITS-2 region of …

Resurrection And Redescription Of Varestrongylus Alces (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae), A Lungworm Of The Eurasian Moose (Alces Alces), With Report On Associated Pathology, Guilherme G. Verocai, Eric P. Hoberg, Turid Vikøren, Kjell Handeland, Bjørnar Ytrehus, Andrew M. Rezansoff, Rebecca K. Davidson, John S. Gilleard, Susan J. Kutz

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Varestrongylus alces, a lungworm in Eurasian moose from Europe has been considered a junior synonym of Varestrongylus capreoli, in European roe deer, due to a poorly detailed morphological description and the absence of a type-series.

Methods: Specimens used in the redescription were collected from lesions in the lungs of Eurasian moose, from Vestby, Norway. Specimens were described based on comparative morphology and integrated approaches. Molecular identification was based on PCR, cloning and sequencing of the ITS-2 region of the nuclear ribosomal DNA. Phylogenetic analysis compared V. alces ITS-2 sequences to these of other Varestrongylus species …

Air Sac Nematode Monopetalonema Alcedinis In A Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle Alcyon) In Maryland, Usa, Ellen Bronson, Kathleen Kelly, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Sporadic and geographically widespread reports of parasites affecting the Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) have been published but few have described details of the pathology. A female, adult kingfisher was found dead in a heavily wooded area of a zoo in Maryland, USA. At necropsy, numerous sexually dimorphic, 4.4–40.5-cm adult Monopetalonema alcedinis nematodes were found tightly wound within the coelomic cavity between organs and completely filling the caudal thoracic and abdominal air sacs. Abundant, 30–60-mm diameter, larvated, thick-walled ova were found in the bronchi and parabronchi, within the mesentery, and in the serosa of multiple coelomic organs. Monopetalonema alcedinis …

In Memoriam: Robert Lloyd Rausch—A Life In Nature And Field Biology, 1921–2012, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

During his distinguished career, Robert Rausch, a man of great integrity and principles, served in his lifetime as a singular ambassador for parasitology in a broad international arena. Robert was a friend to many, was honored to be considered an equal among the nomadic bands of Nunamiut traversing the Brooks Range 60 years ago, and will be long remembered for the strength of his science and his perceptive views of the natural world.

Finding Them Before They Find Us: Informatics, Parasites, And Environments In Accelerating Climate Change, Daniel R. Brooks, Eric P. Hoberg, Walter A. Boeger, Scott Lyell Gardner, Kurt E. Galbreath, David Herczeg, Hugo H. Mejía-Madrid, S. Elizabeth Rácz, Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan Dursahinhan

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Parasites are agents of disease in humans, livestock, crops, and wildlife and are powerful representations of the ecological and historical context of the diseases they cause. Recognizing a nexus of professional opportunities and global public need, we gathered at the Cedar Point Biological Station of the University of Nebraska in September 2012 to formulate a cooperative and broad platform for providing essential information about the evolution, ecology, and epidemiology of parasites across host groups, parasite groups, geographical regions, and ecosystem types. A general protocol, documentation–assessment–monitoring–action (DAMA), suggests an integrated proposal to build a proactive capacity to understand, anticipate, and respond …

Transfer Of The U.S. National Parasite Collection [Announcement], Eric P. Hoberg, Anna J.. Phillips

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

In 2013, an agreement was articulated between the United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Smithsonian Institution to transfer the National Parasite Collection (NPC) in its entirety (fluid specimens, slide specimens, frozen tissues, and reprints) to the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington, D.C. Current collections staff, including senior curator Dr. Eric P. Hoberg and support scientists/managers from the ARS, will be transferred with the collection and, with adjunct appointments in the NMNH, will provide continuity and assistance for curation and accessibility during and after the relocation. New curatorial controls will be established under NMNH …

Transfer Of The United States National Parasite Collection [Announcement], Eric P. Hoberg, Anna J. Phillips

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

In 2013, an agreement was articulated between the United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Smithsonian Institution to transfer the United States National Parasite Collection in its entirety (fluid specimens, slide specimens, frozen tissues and reprints) to the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington, D.C. Current collections staff, including senior curator Dr. Eric P. Hoberg and support scientists/managers from the ARS will be transferred with the collection and with adjunct appointments in the NMNH will provide continuity and assistance for curation and accessibility during and after the relocation. New curatorial controls will be established under …

Anthropogenics: Human Influence On Global And Genetic Homogenization Of Parasite Populations, Dante S. Zarlenga, Eric P. Hoberg, Benjamin Rosenthal, Simonetti Mattiucci, Giuseppe Nascetti

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

The distribution, abundance, and diversity of life on Earth have been greatly shaped by human activities. This includes the geographic expansion of parasites; however, measuring the extent to which humans have influenced the dissemination and population structure of parasites has been challenging. In-depth comparisons among parasite populations extending to landscape-level processes affecting disease emergence have remained elusive. New research methods have enhanced our capacity to discern human impact, where the tools of population genetics and molecular epidemiology have begun to shed light on our historical and ongoing influence. Only since the 1990s have parasitologists coupled morphological diagnosis, long considered the …

Levisunguis Subaequalis N. G., N. Sp., A Tongue Worm (Pentastomida: Porocephalida: Sebekidae) Infecting Softshell Turtles, Apalone Spp. (Testudines: Trionychidae), In The Southeastern United States, Stephen S. Curran, Robin M. Overstreet, David E. Collins, George W. Benz

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

A new tongue worm (Pentastomida) belonging to the Sebekidae Sambon, 1922 (Porocephaloidea Sambon, 1922) is described based on exemplars collected from softshell terrapins Apalone spinifera aspera (Agassiz) and Apalone ferox (Schneider) in the southeastern United States; a new genus is erected to accommodate the new species. The new species belongs in the Sebekidae because adults possess four simple hooks arranged in a trapezoid pattern on the ventral surface of the cephalothorax, a mouth opening between the anterior and posterior pairs of hooks, a terminal anus, an elongated uterus with preanal uterine pore, and a Y-shaped seminal vesicle. Nymphs possess geminate …