Parasitology Commons^™

Community Structure And Seasonal Dynamics Of Dactylogyrus Spp. (Monogenea) On The Fathead Minnow (Pimephales Promelas) From The Salt Valley Watershed, Lancaster County, Nebraska, Alaine Knipes, John J. Janovy Jr.

John J. Janovy, Jr. Publications

The gill monogene communities of Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow) in three distinct sites on converging streams were investigated from 2004 to 2006 in three different seasons. Thirty collections of P. promelas were made in southeastern Nebraska along three converging tributaries: Elk Creek (40.88534°N, 96.83366°W), West Oak Creek (40.9082°N, 96.81432°W), and Oak Creek (40.91402°N, 96.770583°W), Lancaster County, Nebraska. In all, 103 P. promelas were collected from Elk Creek, 115 from West Oak Creek, and 78 from Oak Creek and examined for gill monogenes. Among the P. promelas collected, 93.5% were infected with up to three species of Dactylogyrus, including Dactylogyrus …

Synlophe Structure For Species Of Longistrongylus (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea), Abomasal Parasites Among Ungulates From Sub-Saharan Africa, With Comparisons To The Global Ostertagiine Fauna, Eric P. Hoberg, Arthur Abrams, Patricia A. Pilitt

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The synlophe, or system of longitudinal cuticular ridges characteristic of some trichostrongyloid nematodes, is examined in detail for 6 of 8 species in Longistrongylus (Ostertagiinae) that occur in ungulates across sub-Saharan Africa. Among the species of Longistrongylus examined, 5 are characterized by a tapering pattern laterally in the cervical zone (anterior to the esophageal-intestinal junction), which is largely consistent among multiple male and female specimens; in contrast, for Longistrongylus meyeri the lateral pattern is parallel. The synlophe is bilaterally symmetrical, with ridges extending from the base of the cephalic expansion to near the caudal extremity in males and females. Ridges …

Exploring T. Brucei Hexokinase Biology: Localization And Inhibition Studies, Todd Lyda

All Dissertations

Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of the disease African sleeping sickness
in humans and nagana in animals, is a scourge of sub-Saharan Africa. There is a
desperate need for more efficacious therapies for the disease; here we describe research
validating T. brucei hexokinase 1 (TbHK1) as a drug therapeutic target for T. brucei
infection and the identification and characterization of novel inhibitors of the enzyme by
both low throughput and high throughput means. Additionally this thesis introduces
efforts at characterizing a second T. brucei hexokinase, focusing mostly on cell biology
and the determination of localization.
The small molecule quercetin (QCN) …

Where Are The Parasites? [Letters], Susan J. Kutz, Andy P. Dobson, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

First paragraph:

The review by E. Post et al. ("Ecological dynamics across the Arctic associated with recent climate change," 11 September 2009, p. 1,355) paid little heed to parasites and other pathogens. The rapidly growing literature on parasites in arctic and subarctic ecosystems provides empirical and observational evidence that climate-linked changes have already occurred. The life cycle of the protostrongylid lungworm of muskoxen, Umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis, has changed, and the range of that organism and the winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus, has expanded.

Comparative Life Cycles And Life Histories Of North American Rhabdias Spp. (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae): Lungworms From Snakes And Anurans, Gabriel J. Langford, John J. Janovy Jr.

John J. Janovy, Jr. Publications

The present study used experimental infections to compare the life cycles and life histories of 6 Rhabdias spp. infecting snakes and anurans. Free-living development of anuran lungworms was primarily limited to heterogonic reproduction, and females utilized matricidal endotoky exclusively, whereas snake lungworms primarily reproduced homogonically and, when heterogonic reproduction occurred, females used a combination of releasing eggs and matricidal endotoky. Infective snake lungworms survived for longer periods in fresh water compared to anuran worms. Infective anuran lungworms penetrated into the skin of frogs and toads; few infections resulted from per os infections. In contrast, snake lungworms were unable to penetrate …

Eimeria Spp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) From The Plateau Pika, Ochotona Curzoniae, From Haibei Area, Qinghai Province, China, With The Description Of Two New Species, Yi-Fan Cao, Run-Roung Ye, Jian-Hua Wu, Jiang-Hui Bian, Donald W. Duszynski

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Fifty-two fecal samples from the Plateau pika, Ochotona curzoniae, collected in the Haibei Area, Qinghai Province, China, were examined for the presence of coccidia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae). Five distinct morphotypes, all Eimeria species, were distinguished based on the structure of their sporulated oocysts. Three of these included Eimeria banffensis, Eimeria calentinei, and Eimeria cryptobarretti, all of which have been described previously from other Ochotona species. We also studied 2 morphotypes that we feel have sufficient qualitative and quantitative characters to distinguish them from all previously described species; herein, we identify them as putative new species. Eimeria qinghaiensis …

Sheep Updates 2009, Brown Besier, L. J. E. Karlsson, J. C. Greeff, A. C. Schlink, Mark Ferguson, Greg Lee, Sue Hatcher, Bruce Michael, Rob Woodgate, Darren Michael, Mandy Curnow, Julia Smith, John Young, Andrew Thompson, Chris Oldham

Sheep Updates

This session covers seven papers from different authors:

1. Scouring Management and Worm Control, Brown Besier, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

2.Breeding sheep for resistance to breech strike:- Selection results in WA, LJE Karlsson, JC Greeff & AC Schlink, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

3.Future Ewe - matching genetics to the production system, Mark Ferguson, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

4. Within-flock selection of ewes: opportunities for gains in reproduction, Greg Leeand Sue Hatcher, NSW Department of Primary Industries & Australian CRCforSheep Industry Innovation (Orange)

5. Managing Merinos …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 31, No. 2, Summer 2009, 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.

Lipid Targets Of The Antimalarial Trioxanes In Plasmodium Falciparum, Carmony Leah Hartwig

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Malaria is among the most debilitating diseases of man. The protozoan parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, causes over a million annual fatalities. The antimalarial trioxanes, exemplified by artemisinin, are among the few pharmaceuticals for which clinical resistance has not become widespread. Artemisinin is a naturally occurring sesquiterpene lactone, containing a unique endoperoxide pharmacophore. Despite extensive study, the precise antimalarial mechanism of action of trioxanes remains elusive. Heme iron-mediated cleavage of the endoperoxide within the parasite digestive vacuole is hypothesized to generate cytotoxic metabolites capable of alkylating heme and damaging cellular macromolecules. The hypothesis of this research is that the endoperoxide pharmacophore …

Alternative Life Cycle Strategies And Colonization Of Young Anurans By Gorgoderina Attenuata In Nebraska, Matthew G. Bolek, Scott D. Snyder, John J. Janovy Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

Studies on life cycles and epizootiology of North American frog bladder flukes indicate that adult frogs become infected predominantly by ingesting tadpoles or other frogs that serve as second intermediate hosts for gorgoderid metacercariae. Other studies have indicated that newly metamorphosed frogs are rarely infected with these parasites because they are gape-limited predators that cannot feed on large intermediate hosts such as tadpoles and other frogs. We examined the role of potential intermediate hosts in the recruitment of the frog bladder fluke, Gorgoderina attenuata, to metamorphosed northern leopard frogs, Woodhouse’s toads, and bullfrogs from western Nebraska. We completed the …

Redescription Of The Frog Bladder Fluke Gorgoderina Attenuata From The Northern Leopard Frog, Rana Pipiens, Matthew G. Bolek, Scott D. Snyder, John J. Janovy Jr.

Biology Faculty Publications

Morphological characters used to differentiate North American bladder flukes, Gorgoderina spp., are problematic and different authors use different morphological characteristics for distinguishing species. More importantly, no type specimens exist for four of the 12 North American species infecting anuran and caudatan hosts. A redescription of Gorgoderina attenuata (Stafford, 1902) Stafford, 1905 is based on new collections from 6 species of anurans from Arkansas, Nebraska, New York, and Wisconsin. Morphological comparisons between gravid G. attenuata recovered from bullfrogs and northern leopard frogs indicated statistically significant differences in 11 of 28 morphological characters examined. However, there was overlap among all of these …

Redescription Of The Frog Bladder Fluke Gorgoderina Attenuata From The Northern Leopard Frog, Rana Pipiens, Matthew G. Bolek, Scott D. Snyder, John J. Janovy Jr.

John J. Janovy, Jr. Publications

Morphological characters used to differentiate North American bladder flukes, Gorgoderina spp., are problematic and different authors use different morphological characteristics for distinguishing species. More importantly, no type specimens exist for four of the 12 North American species infecting anuran and caudatan hosts. A redescription of Gorgoderina attenuata (Stafford, 1902) Stafford, 1905 is based on new collections from 6 species of anurans from Arkansas, Nebraska, New York, and Wisconsin. Morphological comparisons between gravid G. attenuata recovered from bullfrogs and northern leopard frogs indicated statistically significant differences in 11 of 28 morphological characters examined. However, there was overlap among all of these …

Alternative Life Cycle Strategies And Colonization Of Young Anurans By Gorgoderina Attenuata In Nebraska, Matthew G. Bolek, Scott D. Snyder, John J. Janovy Jr.

John J. Janovy, Jr. Publications

Studies on life cycles and epizootiology of North American frog bladder flukes indicate that adult frogs become infected predominantly by ingesting tadpoles or other frogs that serve as second intermediate hosts for gorgoderid metacercariae. Other studies have indicated that newly metamorphosed frogs are rarely infected with these parasites because they are gape-limited predators that cannot feed on large intermediate hosts such as tadpoles and other frogs. We examined the role of potential intermediate hosts in the recruitment of the frog bladder fluke, Gorgoderina attenuata, to metamorphosed northern leopard frogs, Woodhouse’s toads, and bullfrogs from western Nebraska. We completed the …

Robustostrongylus Aferensis Gen. Nov. Et Sp. Nov. (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea) In Kob (Kobus Kob) And Hartebeest (Alcelaphus Buselaphus Jacksoni) (Artiodactyla) From Sub-Saharan Africa, With Further Ruminations On The Ostertagiinae, Eric P. Hoberg, Arthur Abrams, Patricia A. Pilitt

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Abomasal nematodes (Ostertagiinae: Trichostrongyloidea), representing a previously unrecognized genus and species, were discovered in kob (Kobus kob) and kongoni (hartebeest) (Alcelaphus buselaphus jacksoni) from Uganda during surveys of ungulate parasites in the 1960s. Robustostrongylus aferensis gen. nov. et sp. nov. is characterized by a ventriculus-like, bilobed valve at the junction of the esophagus and intestine, a synlophe with unusually robust ridges, cervical papillae and excretory pore situated posterior to the mid-length of the esophagus, a unique body form and large diameter in males and females, a relatively anterior position for the vulva, and strongly convoluted and …

Daggerblade Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes Pugio): A Reservoir Host For Yellow-Head Virus (Yhv), Hongwei Ma, Robin M. Overstreet, Jean A. Jovonovich

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Yellow-head virus (YHV) is a major pathogen in penaeid shrimps. We surveyed 13 crustacean species in eight families from two orders that are commonly found in the Mississippi coastal area and freshwater environments as potential reservoir or carrier hosts of YHV. Using semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on relatively small sample sizes, we did not detect any natural infection. However, when the daggerblade grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, and the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, were exposed to YHV by injection and per os, YHV was detected in the tissue of P. pugio and in the hemolymph of C. sapidus …

Taxonomic Revision Of Species Of The Genus Monoecocestus (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae), Terry R. Haverkost

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

My dissertation research is an important contribution to the taxonomy of anoplocephalid cestodes. Almost all research conducted for these chapters was done by staining, mounting, and measuring anoplocephalid cestodes from the Bolivian Biodiversity Survey conducted in Bolivia from 1984-2000. These specimens were collected and processed in the field and deposited in the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology. I was particularly interested in species of the genus Monoecocestus Beddard, 1914 that parasitize caviid and sigmodontine rodents. In all instances, the material studied has lead to the description of new species or the redescription of existing species of Monoecocestus. In …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 31, No. 1, April 26, 2009, 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.

Why Museums Matter: A Tale Of Pinworms (Oxyuroidea: Heteroxynematidae) Among Pikas (Ochotona Princeps And O. Collaris) In The American West [Critical Comment], Eric P. Hoberg, Patricia A. Pilitt, Kurt Galbreath

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Permanent and well-supported museum or natural history collections provide a solid foundation for the process of systematics research through creation of an empirical record which validates our understanding of the biosphere. We explore the role of museums in ongoing studies of the complex helminth fauna characteristic of pikas (Ochotona spp.) in the American west. These studies address the taxonomy for pinworms of the Labiostomatinae and the problems associated with the absence of adequate type series and vouchers and with misidentifications in original descriptions. We demonstrate that the types for Labiostomum (Labiostomum) coloradensis are identical to some specimens …

Why We Have Field Stations: Reflections On The Cultivation Of Biologists, John J. Janovy Jr., Krista M. Major

John J. Janovy, Jr. Publications

For a resident of the state of Nebraska, the Cedar Point Biological Station (CPBS), located in scenic limestone bluffs below Kingsley Dam, an earth-filled artificial mountain that impounds a lake 35 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide, is a bargain in American higher education. In three weeks a student can earn four credits of upper-division coursework, get original research experience, and, most importantly—especially in an educational milieu increasingly characterized by electronic content and electronic course management—get his or her hands on some live wild plants and animals in an appropriate ecological context. This encounter with nature is typically the first …

Seasonal Variation Of Ectosymbiotic Ciliates On Farmed And Wild Shrimps From Coastal Yucatan, Mexico, Norma A. López-Téllez, Victor M. Vidal-Martínez, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

High levels of ciliate infestation can affect respiration, feed intake, and locomotion in farmed shrimps in the tropics. Information on seasonal variation of the infestation parameters of ciliates is scarce, but it would be useful for determining the suitability of preventive measures or therapeutic treatment if necessary. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and mean intensity of infestation (MII) of ciliates on wild native shrimps Penaeus (Farfantepenaeus) brasiliensis and P. (Farfantepenaeus) duorarum and farm-cultured juvenile shrimp Penaeus (Litopenaeus) vannamei over an annual cycle and to determine whether an association existed among physicochemical factors …

Eimeria Spp. In Brazilian Water Buffalo, Antonio Carlos F. De Noronha, Jr., Wilma A. Starke-Buzetti, Donald W. Duszynski

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Eimeria species are frequently found in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in Brazil. Here, we report those Eimeria spp. that infect buffalos during their first year of life. Fresh fecal samples were examined from 2 groups (1 group/yr for 2 yr, 2000-2002), each with 18 water buffalo calves (both sexes), from birth through 12 months of age, in Selvíria, MS, Brazil. Five oocyst morphotypes were observed, i.e., Eimeria ellipsoidalis and Eimeria zuernii, both previously described from water buffalo, and 3 other morphotypes consistent with descriptions of known Eimeria spp. from Artiodactyla hosts, but originally described from other …

Prevalence Of Intestinal Parasite Infection In Symptomatic And Asymptomatic Dogs In Southwestern West Virginia: The Potential Impact On Human Health, Tashina Marie Savilla

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Most dog owners are unaware of asymptomatic infection and of the possibility of contracting zoonotic parasites from their dogs. We hypothesized that parasite infection is: associated with one or more symptoms; independent of gender and age; and independent of anthelmintic usage. Stool samples were collected from 231 dogs in Kanawha County, West Virginia, and were examined by simple fecal flotation. Parasitic prevalence was found to be 23% for Ancylostoma caninum, 8% for Trichuris vulpis, 7% for Toxocara canis, 4% for Isospora species, and 32.5% overall. There was no significant relationship between infection and gender, nor between infection and symptom for …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 31, No. 3, Winter 2009, 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.

Lipid Uptake And Metabolism In The Parasitic Protozoan Giardia Lamblia., Mayte Yichoy

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Giardia lamblia is a protozoan parasite that causes various intestinal syndromes, and it is a common cause of water-borne illness worldwide, both in developed and developing countries. Giardia attaches to the mucosal epithelia of the duodenum below the bile duct, where it is exposed to bile salts and dietary lipids. G. lamblia is unable to synthesize lipids de novo and must therefore scavenge necessary lipids from its extracellular environment and remodel them as needed. However, the current lipidomic analysis (presented in this Dissertation) has revealed that while the Giardia lipidome is rich in phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylglycerol (PG), …

Animal Helminths In Human Archaeological Remains: A Review Of Zoonoses In The Past, Luciana Sianto, Marcia Chame, Cassius S. P. Silva, Marcelo L. C. Gonçalves, Karl Reinhard, Martín Horacio Fugassa, Adauto Araújo

Karl Reinhard Publications

The authors present a review of records of intestinal parasitic helminths from animals in human archaeological remains, reported since the emergence of paleopathological studies. The objective was to relate paleoparasitological findings to geographic, biotic, and abiotic factors from the environment in which the prehistoric populations lived, and understand some aspects related to the process of human dispersion and biological and cultural evolution. Modification of eating habits and the incorporation of new cultural practices are analyzed from the perspective of zoonoses from prehistory to the present day, especially in Brazilian indigenous populations. Three tables identifying the helminths, their natural hosts, dates, …

Ancient Leishmaniasis In A Highland Desert Of Northern Chile, Maria Antonietta Costa, Carney Matheson, Lucia Iachetta, Otto Appenzeller

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Background

Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease endemic today in many areas of South America.

Methodology

We discovered morphologic and molecular evidence of ancient infections in four female skulls in the archaeological cemetery of Coyo Oriente, in the desert of San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile. The boney facial lesions visible in the skulls could have been caused by a number of chronic infections including chronic Leishmaniasis. This diagnosis was confirmed using PCR-sequenced analyses of bone fragments from the skulls of the affected individuals. Leishmaniasis is not normally found in the high-altitude desert of northern Chile; where the harsh climate does …

Taxonomic Information Exchange And Copyright: The Plazi Approach, Donat Agosti, Willi Egloff

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Background

A large part of our knowledge on the world's species is recorded in the corpus of biodiversity literature with well over hundred million pages, and is represented in natural history collections estimated at 2–3 billion specimens. But this body of knowledge is almost entirely in paper-print form and is not directly accessible through the Internet. For the digitization of this literature, new territories have to be chartered in the fields of technical, legal and social issues that presently impede its advance. The taxonomic literature seems especially destined for such a transformation.

Discussion

Plazi was founded as an association with …

A Redescription Of Three Species Of Monoecocestus (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) Including Monoecocestus Threlkeldi Based On New Material, Terry R. Haverkost, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Because we have new and detailed data on species in the genus, herein we redescribe both Monoecocestus macrobursatus and M. minor based on existing museum specimens. We also redescribe M. threlkeldi (Parra, 1952) using material collected in Bolivia. Based on the specimens representing M. thelkeldi, we affirm that Perutaenia Parra, 1953 should remain a junior synonym of Monoecocestus.

Characterization Of Dictyocaulus Species (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea) From Three Species Of Wild Ruminants In Northwestern Spain, Ramon A. Carreno, Natividad Diez-Baños, Maria Del Rosario Hidalgo-Argüello, Steven A. Nadler

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Specimens of Dictyocaulus spp. were extracted from the respiratory tracts of 3 ruminant hosts including roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) from wild populations in the province of Leo´n, northwestern Spain. The near-complete nuclear small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene, and 2 regions of the large-subunit ribosomal RNA gene, were amplified by PCR and sequenced. The SSU rDNA gene sequences indicated a high level of similarity between the isolate from C. elaphus and the published sequences for Dictyocaulus eckerti. SSU rDNA gene sequences were identical in the isolates from …

Systematic Position Of Pseudocorynosoma And Andracantha (Acanthocephala, Polymorphidae) Based On Nuclear And Mitochondrial Gene Sequences, Martín García-Varela

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Species of Pseudocorynosoma are North and South American acanthocephalans that use waterfowl as definitive hosts and amphipods as intermediate hosts, whereas species of Andracantha occur in fish-eating birds with a worldwide distribution. Pseudocorynosoma and Andracantha were originally described as Corynosoma (now restricted to endoparasites of marine mammals). Morphologically, Andracantha is distinct from other genera of Polymorphidae in possessing 2 fields of spines on the trunk, whereas Corynosoma and Pseudocorynosoma have a single field. A recent phylogenetic hypothesis based on morphological characters suggested that Andracantha is closely related to Corynosoma, whereas Pseudocorynosoma was of uncertain phylogenetic position within the Polymorphidae. …