Eelworm disease of tulips was first reported by Bos (1906) in bulbs of the varieties “La Reine” and “Yellow Prince,” grown at Sassenheim in Holland. Westerdijk (1906) dealt a little more fully with the same outbreak, described the typical brown ring symptoms shown by the bulbs and reported on a few preliminary trials designed to determine whether the parasite belonged to the same biological race as that attacking hyacinths.

Theobald (1912) reported the presence of Tylenchus devastatrix in a number of tulip bulbs (variety unnamed) which had been spnt to him from Dublin, Ireland. In a later note Theobald (1924–25) speaks of a tulip grower in Thanet, Kent, having such bad attacks of eelworm in his bulbs that he decided to remove his nursery to clean ground. Whether the stem eelworm was actually found in affected tulip bulbs was, however, not stated.

Trichinosis is a disease which is characterised by profound absolute and relative variations in the leucocyte ratios of the circulating blood, more particularly a marked eosinophilia, and in moderate cases, concurrent neutrophilia (van Someren, 1938). It is obvious that these changes in the peripheral blood are the outcome of disturbances in the development of the precursor cells of the haemopoietic system, especially in the bone marrow; the lymphocytogenic tissue in the spleen and lymph glands does not appear to be so markedly activated, except in very severe cases or late in the course of the disease.

Owing to the comparative rarity of Paramphistomes in Britain the difficulties of attempting to work out the life cycle are very great. Upto the present the problem has been approached from two angles; firstly, where an infected animal has been found at the abattoir, and finally traced back to its farm of origin, extensive collection of snails has been carried out at the assumed site of infestation ; secondly, where it has been possible to collect large numbers of adult worms from slaughtered animals, these have been picked out of the rumen and placed in dishes containing boiled tap water for several hours, in which medium oviposition takes place rapidly. These eggs have been collected and cultured, and laboratory-bred snails have been exposed to the miracidia, but so far no infection has taken place. This has of necessity been sporadic and no concentrated systematic attempts at infection over long periods have been possible.

Zygocotyle lunata adults grown in mice were treated in vitro with 3-H-adenosine to label sperm and then transplanted to the caecum of mice singly or with 6 to 8 unlabelled adults. After 6 to 10 days, worms were recovered, processed for autoradiography, and observed for radioactive sperm in their seminal receptacles. Adults would not incorporate radioactive thymidine into dividing cells. Tyrosine was utilized only by juvenile worms and then not enough to label germinal cells for mating studies. Four of 13 (31%) worms transplanted singly self-inseminated, whereas 9 of 10 (90%) labelled worms in multiple infections self-inseminated. When in groups, the labelled worms cross-inseminated with 14 of 43 (33%) unlabelled worms. This mating pattern was unrestricted in that both self- and cross-insemination took place in multiple infections, much like the mating pattern in another paramphistomatid, Megalodiscus temperatus, but unlike the restrictive pattern shown by three species of eyeflukes.

A new species of amphistome cercaria from Planorbis exustus in Cachar District, Assam, is described.

Feeding experiments with the encysted cercariae to two calves and a pig proved negative.

In 6 week-old Paramphistomum cervi, vitelline cells appear in the form of a few scattered cells, present below the body wall which divide mitotically to form vitelline follicles in 8 week-old worms. Small shell globules appear first in 10 week-old worms, the number and size of which continue to increase till the worm becomes adult. In the latter the vitelline follicles contain stem cells, immature, maturing and mature vitelline cells, which differ due to the distribution of shell globules as well as their histochemical nature. The shell globules are keratin in nature. The vitelline cells showed activities of various phosphatases but did not show the presence of any of the dehydrogenases studied.

The study describes methods developed for using video-imaging technology to record and measure the velocity of Schistosoma mansoni miracidia. The efficacy of the classical bioassay procedure (a qualitative behavioural assay) was compared with that of the new quantitative protocol, for assessing the sub-lethal impact of a larvicidal dichloromethane extract of the seeds of Millettia thonningii on miracidia. The new technique confirmed the efficacy of the classical bioassay for rapid determination of the lethal and sub-lethal impact of larvicides but also provided quantitative information on sub-lethal impacts on miracidial velocity and shape.

Parabronema skrjabini Rassowska, 1924 was originally described from Russian Turkestan and is known to occur in that region in cattle, camel, sheep and goats. The parasite is also known from okapi (Leiper 1985) dying in the Zoological Gardens, London, and Nubian ibex and Giraffe (Ezzat, 1945) from the Zoological Gardens, Giza, Egypt. A closely related species was described and recorded, respectively, by Vuylsteke, 1985 (Parabronema okapiac) and Leiper, 1985 (Parabronema okapi) from okapi. Van den Berghe and Vuylsteke (1987) reduced P. okapiae to the status of a variety of P. skrjabini.

In an experiment previously reported (1941) we were able to show little anthelmintic effect against the gastro-intestinal nematodes of sheep after using phenothiazine powder in single doses up to 0·3 gm. per Kg. body weight. In view of our experience and its contrast with that of many" other workers, we felt it desirable to test a much larger dose, to compare it with another brand of the drug, and (because of the very large variation in worm burden from lamb to lamb) to use not less than four lambs in each treatment group.

Accordingly, 12 lambs from a flock known to be naturally infested were purchased last November, and these were divided at random into three groups as follows: A, untreated controls; B, given compressed 5 gm. tablets of phenothiazine (recently placed on the market by a well-known firm) at the rate of 5 gm. per 5 Kg. body weight; and C, given phenothiazine powder in water as a drench, at the same dosage rate, with the addition to each dose of 1 gm. sodium glycocholate as a wetting agent. This powder was from the same batch as that used in our previous experiment. In each case the full amount was given as a single dose.

The same three criteria of efficacy were used as before: three eggcountings and lamb-weighings before and after treatment, and post mortem worm-counts. Eggs were counted by the same modified McMaster technique, the individual counts representing the eggs in 0·005 gm. of faeces, but on this occasion only three cells were counted per sheep per day.

The cysticercoids of Dicranotaenia coronula and Microsomacanthuscompressa are recorded from the stomach contents of Lymnaea peregra and L. stagnalis, and M. compressa also from L. palusiris at the Wentloog level, near Cardiff, South Wales. The cysticercoids of Haploparaksis cirrosa and Kowalewskius parvitla found in the botryoidal tissue of Erpdbdella octoculata from a pool at Llynheilin, New Radnor, are described. The adults of K. parvttla reached maturity in 17 days, in a duckling, and the egg capsules produced contained approximately 100 oncospheres in each.

The development of Schistosoma margrebowiei in hamsters, mice and gerbils has been studied following infection by cercariae obtained from laboratory-infected Bulinus natalensis. The rate is compared with that of other schistosome spp. and found to be very fast. In vitro development was slower and did not proceed beyond the closed-gut stage.

In early May 1954 some annual aster plants (Callistephus chinensis) being grown in sterilized compost in seed boxes were received from a nursery at Mildenhall, Suffolk. Many of these plants were severely stunted and malformed, and some were completely dead. At first sight it looked as if the centres of these plants had been eaten out, but subsequent examination revealed a heavy infestation of chrysanthemum eelworm (Aphelenchoides ritzema-bosi), living ectoparasitically among the young leaves. Bunches of nematodes were easily visible in the leaf axils under the low power of a binocular microscope, or even under a good hand lens.

During the survey 571 birds, representing 22 species were examined. Of the birds examined 396 (69·3%) were found to be infected with helminths, and of those infected birds 87. (21·9%) contained trematodes, 276 (69·7%) contained cestodes, 105 (26·5%) contained acanthocephala, and 146 (36·9%) contained nematodes.

Cestodes were found in 18 (81·8%) of the species of birds examined, nematodes in 10 (45·4%), trematodes in 9 (40·9%) and acanthocephala in 7 (31·7%).

The maximum helminth infections of all the bird species examined occurred in the spring. Nestling corvids, with one exception, were not infected with cestodes, but nestling turdids were heavily infected. Fledgling corvids also differed considerably as regards cestode infection. Magpies were 100% infected, jackdaws 35%, and rooks 20% infected.

A total dose of 30 gm. of phenothiazine, given as tablets in one dose of 15 gm. and three of 5 gm. to three goats and six sheep known to be worm-free, had no effect on the weights of the animals in comparison with equal numbers of worm-free controls, over a period of 15 weeks from the first dose.

It is concluded that weights can validly be used as a criterion of anthelmintic efficacy; they not only constitute an obvious economic criterion, but also are statistically more sensitive than egg-counts when subjected to analysis of covariance.

Most of our knowledge concerning the larval stages of the Strigeida is based on the studies of Canadian, American and European workers. One of the earliest descriptions of furcocercariae from British freshwaters was by Brown (1926, 1931) who recorded six new species from Cheshire. Later, Harper (1929) described three species and Hesse (1923) one un-named species, all from Scotland. During this period Matheson (1930) recorded the presence of Cercaria pseiidocellata Szidat, 1942 in an artificial lake at Roath Park, Cardiff, after reports of dermatitis from bathers. In 1932 Rees, during a general survey of Glamorgan, recorded an additional two species from the lake. These furcocercarial species were Cercaria X Baylis, 1930 and C. macrosoma which had been previously described by Brown in 1926.

Non-specific and specific phosphatases have been histochemically localized in the tissues of Avitellina lahorea, an intestinal parasite of sheep and goats. Large quantities of acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and adenosine triphosphatase were observed in almost all organs except the parenchyma where there were moderate amounts of acid phosphatase and no alkaline phosphatase; the reproductive ducts contained moderate amounts of alkaline phosphatase. 5-nucleotidase was observed only in the uterus, egg pouches and eggs and glucose-6-phosphatase activity was restricted to the tegument. The probable functions of these moieties at different sites are discussed.

The prevalence Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a metastrongylid lungworm of rats, was investigated in three common species of rodents in the Greater Bombay area, namely, Rattus rattus, R. norvegicus and Bandicota bengalensis. In all, 737 R. norvegicus, 100 R. rattus and 100 B. bengalensis were examined and the presence of A. cantonensis infection was noticed in R. norvegicus (1·62%). About 800 slugs (Laevicaulis alte) were examined and were found to harbour third-stage larvae of Angiostrongylus.

The susceptibility of rats to Hymenolepis nana (Cestoda) and the chemotherapeutic response of anti-cestode drugs was studied during egg-induced and cysticercoid-induced infections. In cysticercoid-induced infection, the percentage of infected animals and the number of mature worms were significantly more than in egg-induced infection. The former mode of transmission required more drug to clear the parasites. These differences have been discussed on the basis of immunity engendered in the definitive host by the developing larvae.

In a note in the British Medical Journal for February 3rd, 1934, there is mention of the anthelmintic action of garlic oil. One paragraph says that good results have been obtained in the treatment of threadworm in children while a second is more specific and quotes the case of a woman who was cured of Ascaris lumbricoides in 36 hours. She passed a male, 13¾ inches long, a female and a bunch of newly hatched young.

Favored RLE for use in promoting growth and development of Neoaplectana glaseri in axenic cultures include those made from the livers of rabbits sacrificed late in pregnancy or early postpartum, and used after subsequent refrigerated storage periods of 15–90 days.