Parasitology Commons^™

Morphological And Molecular Description Of Haematoloechus Meridionalis N. Sp. (Digenea: Plagiorchioidea: Haematoloechidae) From Rana Vaillanti Brocchi Of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Virginia León-Règagnon, Daniel R. Brooks, Derek A. Zelmer

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

An undescribed species of Haematoloechus inhabits the lungs of Rana vaillanti in northwestern Costa Rica. The new species is most similar morphologically to H. medioplexus, having a very small, but well-developed, ventral sucker and lacking extracecal uterine loops, and apparently was misidentified previously as H. medioplexus in Rana palmipes from Colombia. It differs from H. medioplexus, notably by (1) the shape of the oral sucker, which is elliptical in H. meridionalis and spherical in H. medioplexus; (2) the posterior extent of the vitelline fields, which terminate at the same level in H. medioplexus, but always at …

Description Of Buckarootrema Goodmani N. G., N. Sp. (Digenea: Pronocephalidae), A Parasite Of The Freshwater Turtle Emydura Macquarii (Gray, 1830) (Pleurodira: Chelidae) From Queensland, Australia, And A Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Genera Of The Pronocephalidae Looss, 1902, Thomas R. Platt, Daniel R. Brooks

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

Buckarootrema goodmani n. g., n. sp. is described from the small intestine of the Murray turtle, Emydura macquarii (Gray, 1830), from the vicinity of Warwick, Queensland, Australia. The distinctive taxonomic features include the vitellarium, which consists of two compact masses directly anterior to and occasionally overlapping the testes; the uterus with extensive pre- and postovarian coils; intestinal ceca with small, medial diverticula that terminate anterior to or at the anterior margin of the testes; a comma-shaped cirrus sac with both internal and external seminal vesicles. Phylogenetic systematic analysis of the genera of the Pronocephalidae including Buckarootrema and Notopronocephalus, …

Physid Snails As Sentinels Of Freshwater Nematomorphs, Ben Hanelt, L. E. Grother, John J. Janovy Jr.

John Janovy Publications

Freshwater nematomorphs, or gordiids, are parasitic as larvae, but free-living in aquatic environments as adults. Studies based on the collection of adults have reported gordiids to be widespread, but discontinuous in distribution. However, a relatively short adult life span and unknown life history make the detection of adults difficult. An alternative approach to investigate gordiid distribution is to use cysts. Of all paratenic hosts, snails were chosen because they lacked internal defense reactions to the cysts and become easily infected. Here, it is reported that the occurrence of gordiids on the basis of the cyst stage is much more common …

Epimerite-Host Epithelium Relationships Among Eugregarines Parasitizing The Damselflies Enallagma Civile And Ischnura Verticalis, Tamara J. Percival Cook, John J. Janovy Jr., Richard E. Clopton

John Janovy Publications

The host-parasite interface between two species of damselflies and four species of eugregarines was examined at the ultrastructural level. Nubenocephalus nebraskensis organisms attached to the host midgut epithelium by means of a sucker-like protomerite; the space between the epicytic folds and host epithelium was filled with electron-dense material interpreted to be adhesive in nature. Actinocephalus carrilynnae organisms attached by means of the epimerite, which had no epicytic folds, and by the fluted stalk with characteristic epicytic folds; host cell and parasite membranes appeared fused at some places on the epimerite. Hoplorhynchus acanthatholius organisms attached by means of an ovoid epimerite …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 23, No. 2, August 2001, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

An issue of the American Society of Parasitologists' quarterly newsletter, also called the Journal of Parasitology Newsletter.

Anindobothrium N. Gen. (Eucestoda: Tetraphyllidea) Inhabiting Marine And Freshwater Potamotrygonid Stingrays, Fernando P.L. Marques, Daniel R. Brooks, Carlos A. Lasso

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

Anindobothrium n. gen. is proposed to accommodate Caulobothrium anacolum inhabiting Himantura schmardae from Colombia, and two new species, one inhabiting Potamotrygon orbigny in Brazil and the other inhabiting Paratrygon aereiba in Venezuela. Members of the new genus resemble members of Pararhinebothroides, Rhinebothroides, and Anthocephalum by having bothridia with poorly differentiated apical suckers and vasa deferentia expanded into external seminal vesicles. It further resembles Pararhinebothroides, Rhinebothroides, and Anthocephalum cairae by having vas deferens inserted near the poral rather than aporal end of the cirrus sac. The 3 species assigned to the new genus form an apparent monophyletic …

Vexillata Liomyos N. Sp. (Nemata: Ornithostrongylidae) From Liomys Pictus (Rodentia: Heteromyidae) From Mexico, With Comments On The Synlophe Of Vexillata Armandae, Jorge Falcon-Ordaz, Scott Lyell Gardner, Gerardo Perez-Ponce De Leon

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

Individuals of a new species of Vexillata were collected from the small intestines of Liomys pictus from the Estacio´n de Biologı´a Chamela, in Jalisco State, Mexico. The new species shows an array of characters that allow us to recognize it as a member of Vexillata; however, it can be distinguished from other species of the genus in that males possess an asymmetrical caudal bursa, females possess a characteristic cuticular inflation at the level of the ovijector, and both sexes possess a synlophe with 9 ridges at the midbody. Additional detail of the synlophe of Vexillata armandae Gardner et al., …

The Response Of Gregarina Niphandrodes (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida: Septatina) To Host Starvation In Tenebrio Molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Adults, Jennifer E. Schawang, John J. Janovy Jr.

John Janovy Publications

Numerous studies of host starvation have emphasized pathological effects of parasites on their insect host, but little attention has been focused on the effects of host starvation on the parasites. This study addressed the possibility that parasite life-cycle events could be manipulated by withholding food from the host. The system used was Gregarina niphandrodes (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida) in Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) adults. Gregarine gametocyst formation and shedding ceased after one day in starved beetles but continued in fed controls. There were no statistically significant differences between total lengths of associated (3 of 5 trials) or unassociated (5 of 5 trials) …

Parasite Systematics In The 21st Century: Opportunities And Obstacles, Daniel R. Brooks, Eric P. Hoberg

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

Taxonomic names and phylogenetic hypotheses are indispensable tools for modern biological research, both basic and applied. Like all disciplines, parasitology suffers from the ‘taxonomic impediment’ – a global shortage of professional taxonomists and systematists. Only a fraction of the species of parasites on this planet have been identified, and the evolutionary relationships of only a minority of those are understood; thus, information on how to manage parasite biodiversity, including known and potential disease agents, is incomplete. A renewal of systematic parasitology has a key role in redefining the relationship between mankind and the organisms whose biology fascinates us so much.

Persistent Fontanelles In Rodent Skulls, Scott Lyell Gardner, Sydney Anderson

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

Persistent fenestrae occur between frontal or parietal bones in skulls of various rodents, especially species of Andinomys and Ctenomys. The frequency of occurrence and the shape and position of the fenestrae may vary with age or among individuals, populations, and species. Different families and species from both high and low elevations exhibit fenestrae. They have arisen in several different evolutionary lineages. Genetic factors contribute, but no clear functional significance of the fenestrae has been established.

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 23, No. 1, January 2001, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

An issue of the American Society of Parasitologists' quarterly newsletter, also called the Journal of Parasitology Newsletter.

Review Of: Dangerous Places: Health, Safety, And Archaeology (David A. Poirer & Kenneth L. Feder Eds.), Natalie Duval

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of the book: Dangerous Places: Health, Safety, and Archaeology (David A. Poirier& Kenneth L. Feder eds., Bergin & Garvey, Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. 2001). Introduction, bibliographic references, index. ISBN0-89789-632-7 [264 pp. $65.00. Cloth, 88 Post Road West, P.O. Box5007, Westport, CT 06881-5007.

Evolution In The Information Age: Rediscovering The Nature Of The Organism, Daniel R. Brooks

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

The newest synthesis of evolutionary thought is emerging, and promises to return evolutionary biology to Darwin’s panoramic view of life. The key element is a long-standing dualism in evolutionary theory. This dualism has a long history within evolutionary biology, being manifested under guises such as: (1) the nature of the organism and the nature of the conditions, (2) internal and external, or intrinsic and extrinsic, factors, (3) production and exchanges, (4) boundary and initial conditions, (5) metabolism and replication, (6) energy and information, and (7) costs and benefits, and conflict and resolution. A partially retrospective review suggests that there is …

Characterization Of The Laminated Layer Of In Vitro Cultivated Echinococcus Vogeli Metacestodes, Katrin Ingold, Wenjuan Dai, Robert L. Rausch, Bruno Gottstein, Andrew Hemphill

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

The metacestode (larval) stages of the cestode parasites Echinococcus vogeli and E. multilocularis were isolated from the peritoneal cavity of experimentally infected C57BL/6 mice and were cultured in vitro for a period of up to four months under conditions normally applied for the in vitro cultivation of E. multilocularis metacestodes. In contrast to E. multilocularis, E. vogeli did not exhibit extensive exogenous budding and proliferation but increased in size with a final diameter of up to 10 mm. Most metacestodes contained protoscoleces, singly or in groups, either associated with brood capsules or growing directly out of the germinal layer. …

Re-Thinking The Summer Drenching Program, Brown Besier

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The summer drenching program has provided highly effective sheep worm control in Western Australia for many years - but recent research challenges its long term sustainability.

Trial results suggest that in large parts of the State, summer drenching is the main factor leading to the development of drench resistant worms. Alternative programs less likely to lead to drench resistance will require greater monitoring of worm burdens and panning pasture moves.

Presentation Of The Asp Distinguished Service Award To Robert L. Rausch, Eric P. Hoberg

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

Over the past 50 years Robert Rausch has been at the forefront of research on the systematics, taxonomy, biogeography, epidemiology, and pathology of helminth parasites in vertebrate hosts. Research programs and projects have continually emphasized the complex interface of parasitology, sylvatic distributions of pathogens in wild mammals, and public health, whether dealing with tapeworms such as Echinococcus or Diphyllobothrium or with nematodes such as Trichinella. Most meticulous in research, contributions by Dr. Rausch have been characterized by their innovative nature, depth and scope of detail, complete articulation and examination of hypotheses, and novel insights integrating parasites and parasitism within …

Identification Of A Defensin From The Hemolymph Of The American Dog Tick, Dermacentor Variabilis, Robert Johns, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Wayne L. Hynes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Hemolymph from partially fed virgin Dermacentor variabilis females was collected following Borrelia burgdorferi challenge and assayed for antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis and B. burgdorferi. A small inducible cationic peptide was identified by SDS-PAGE in the hemolymph of these ticks as early as 1h post challenge. Following purification by a three-step procedure involving sequential SepPak elution, reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and gel electrophoresis, the yield of the active peptide was approximately 0.1% of the total protein in the hemolymph plasma. The molecular weight, 4.2kDa, was determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. N-terminal sequencing by the Edman degradation …

Prevalence Of Eimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) In Reintroduced Gunnison's Prairie Dogs (Cynomys Gunnisoni), M. M. Ryan, K. H. Decker, Donald W. Duszynski

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

Fecal samples from 54 Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) from Albuquerque, NM were analyzed for the presence of coccidia and all were positive. They were then relocated to an abandoned prairie dog town on the Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site. Six Eimeria species, E. callospermophili, E. cynomysis, E. pseudospermophili (new host record), E. spermophili, E. ludoviciani and E. vilasi (new host record) were found in Albuquerque animals, but only two species, E. callospermophili and E. vilasi were present in relocated hosts. A significant (P < 0.05) reduction was seen in the prevalence of E. vilasi (72% vs. 13%) and in the prevalence of infections …

Worms, Nematoda, Scott Lyell Gardner

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

Nematodes are the most speciose phylum of metazoa on earth. Not only do they occur in huge numbers as parasites of all known animal groups, but also they are found in the soils, as parasites of plants, and in large numbers in the most extreme environments, from the Antarctic dry valleys to the benthos of the ocean. They are extremely variable in their morphological characteristics, with each group showing morphological adapta­tions to the environment that they inhabit. Soil-dwelling forms are extremely small; many marine species have long and complex setae; and parasitic species man­ifest amazingly great reproductive potential and large …

Phylogenetic Position Of Eimeria Antrozoi, A Bat Coccidium (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) And Its Relationship To Morphologically Similar Eimeria Spp. From Bats And Rodents Based On Nuclear 18s And Plastid 23s Rdna Sequences, Xiaomin Zhao, Donald W. Duszynski, Eric S. Loker

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

Partial plastid 23S and nuclear 18S rDNA genes were amplified and sequenced from 2 morphologically similar Eimeria species, E. antrozoi from a bat (Antrozous pallidus) and E. arizonensis from deer mice (Peromyscus spp.), as well as some other Eimeria species from bats and rodents. The phylogenetic trees clearly separated E. antrozoi from E. arizonensis. The phylogenies based on plastid 23S rDNA data and combined data of both plastid and nuclear genes grouped 2 bat Eimeria and 3 morphologically similar Eimeria species from rodents into 2 separate clades with high bootstrap support (100%, 3 rodent Eimeria species; …

Tick Immunity To Microbial Infections: Control Of Representative Bacteria In The Hard Tick Dermacentor Variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae), Robert Johns, Shane Ceraul, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Wayne L. Hynes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Contrasts In Tick Innate Immune Responses To Borrelia Burgdorferi Challenge: Immuno-Tolerance In Ixodes Scapularis Versus Immunocompetence In Dermacentor Variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae)., Robert Johns, Jun Ohnishi, Anne Broadwater, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Aravinda M. Desilva, Wayne L. Hynes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, transmits the Lyme disease spirochete (Borrelia burgdorferi), whereas the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Say), is unable to transmit the bacterium. We compared the innate immune response of these ticks against spirochetes directly inoculated into the hemocoel cavity of ticks. In I. scapularis, some Borrelia were found associated with hemocytes, while numerous other spiral-shaped, intact bacteria remained free in the hemolymph. In contrast, in D. variabilis only remnants of the bacteria were evident in the hemolymph, indicating lysis; intact spirochetes were rare. Spirochetes were observed bound to or within the organs …

Infection And Transovarial Transmission Of Rickettsiae In Dermacentor Variabilis Acquired By Artificial Feeding, K. R. Macaluso, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Shane M. Ceraul, A. F. Azad

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In this study we examined the efficiency of an in vitro feeding technique using glass microcapillaries as a method of establishing rickettsiae-infected lines of ticks. To quantify the volume ingested by ticks during microcapillary feeding, the incorporation of radiolabeled amino acids in tick gut and hemolymph was calculated. Fifteen of 18 ticks consumed between 0.06 μl and 6.77μl. However, ingestion of fluid was not correlated to weight gain during capillary feeding. Uninfected and partially fed laboratory-reared female Dermacentor variabilis ticks were exposed to either Rickettsia montana- or Rickettsia rhipicephali-infected Vero cells via microcapillary tubes, returned to rabbit hosts, …

Biotic And Abiotic Effects On Endoparasites Infecting Dipodomys And Perognathus Species, Kimberly H. Decker, Donald W. Duszynski, Michael J. Patrick

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

Between 1989 and 1998, 3,504 rodents of the genera Dipodomys and Perognathus were collected from 4 permanent collecting sites on the University of New Mexico’s Long Term Ecological Research station, located on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR), Socorro County, New Mexico. All animals were killed and examined for endoparasites (acanthocephalans, cestodes, coccidia, and nematodes). The present report focuses on 3 endoparasite groups, cestodes, coccidia, and nematodes. Specific analyses address how prevalence changes were related to abiotic factors such as habitat, season, or precipitation, and how prevalence of each parasite species in each host species differed in relation to host …

Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Rhabdocoela (Platyhelminthes) With Emphasis On The Neodermata And Relatives, David Zamparo, Daniel R. Brooks, Deborah A. Mclennan, Eric P. Hoberg

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

Phylogenetic systematic analysis of 24 taxa representing the rhabdocoel platyhelminths, based on a suite of 89 morphological characters, produced two equally parsimonious trees, 181 steps long, with a consistency index (CI) of 0.69 and a rescaled consistency index (RCI) of 0.56, differing only with respect to that portion of the tree containing Umagillidae, Acholadidae, Graffillinae, Pseudograffillinae, Pterastericolidae and Hypoblepharinidae. Our results accommodate all previously proposed sister taxa to the Neodermata in a single clade in which ((Dalyelliidae + Temnocephalida) Typhloplanidae) is the sister group of ((Fecampiidae + Urastoma) (Udonella ((Aspidogastrea + Digenea) (Monogenea (Gyrocotylidea (Amphilinidea + Eucestoda)))))). Bootstrap …

Gastrointestinal Strongyles In Wild Ruminants, Eric P. Hoberg, A. Alan Kocan, Lora G. Rickard

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

Parasitologists have long studied helminth infections in wildlife species and have documented the existence of many organisms from a diversity of mammalian hosts. With this accumulation of information has come improved understanding of the significance of these organisms and the diseases they produce in their mammalian hosts. Some of the most notable examples include the metastrongyloid lungworms, Trichinella spiralis, and Elaeophora schneideri, which are covered separately in this volume. It is, however, for the group of parasites referred to as gastrointestinal nematodes that we have accumulated the most data. Only recently has progress been made in determining the …

Cyclospora, Eimeria, Isospora And Cryptosporidium Spp., Donald Duszynski, Steve J. Upton

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

Coccidia are exceptionally common protist parasites of both vertebrates and, to a lesser extent, invertebrates. Every vertebrate species that ever has been examined intensively, over a broad geographic range, has been found to have at least one coccidian species unique to it and may have as many as five, ten, or more species. They also may have additional coccidia shared with close relatives (congenerics, sometimes confarnilials) and/or with sympatrics. The history of the development of our knowledge about coccidian parasites of wild mammals is long and tangled and has been reviewed by Levine, Joyner, and Long and Joyner. Suffice it …

Evaluation Of The Specificity Of Five Oligoprobes For Identification Of Cyathostomin Species From Horses, J. E. Hodgkinson, S. Love, J. Ralph Lichtenfels, S. Palfreman, Y. H. Ramsey, J. B. Matthews

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

Here, we report evaluation of five oligoprobes designed from intergenic spacer (IGS) region sequences for identification of cyathostomin species. Oligoprobes were designed for identification of Cylicocyclus ashworthi, Cylicocyclus nassatus, Cylicostephanus longibursatus, Cylicostephanus goldi and a fifth probe designed to identify all members of this tribe. PCR amplification of IGS DNA from 16 cyathostomin species allowed sequence comparison and identification of four putative species-specific probes. Southern blotting of amplified products from 16 species showed that all probes were species-specific. The fifth probe recognised all 16 cyathostomin species but did not bind to members of the genus Strongylus. Furthermore, these probes …

Onchocercosis In Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus) From Spain, Mónica Santín-Durán, José M. Alunda, Eric P. Hoberg

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

Onchocercosis, caused by Onchocerca flexuosa, was observed in red deer (Cervus elaphus) from Spain for the first time. Adult specimens of O. flexuosa were found in nodules in subcutaneous tissues in 42 of 125 (33%) red deer between October 1994 and September 1995; intensity of infection 6 SD was 3.93 ± 5.26 nodules per infected host. A clear seasonal pattern in the distribution of nodules was observed, with higher values of prevalence and intensity in fall and winter in contrast to spring and summer. Significant differences were found among age groups in prevalence, but not in the …

Umingmakstrongylus Pallikuukensis (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae) In Gastropods: Larval Morphology, Morphometrics, And Development Rates, Susan J. Kutz, Eric P. Hoberg, Lydden Polley

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

Morphological and morphometric aspects of larval development of Umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis in Deroceras laeve and the effects of temperature on development rates in D. laeve and Deroceras reticulatum were investigated in the laboratory. Larval stages were best differentiated by separation of cuticular sheaths, tail structure, and viability following digestion. Growth in body and esophagus width was observed during the first-stage within the intermediate host, but the major increases in body length and width occurred immediately following the second molt. Larval development in D. laeve and D. reticulatum occurred more rapidly at warmer temperatures. The calculated threshold temperatures were 8.5 and 9.5 …