Sera from patients with clinical characteristics of toxocariasis were assayed using the ELISA method and larval excretory-secretory antigen. Four hundred and seven samples of Toxocara serology were received at the laboratory of ‘Ciudad Sanitaria Juan Canalejo’ Hospital of Corunna, Spain, from 1984 to 1989. Of these, 30 were from adults, 332 from children and 45 from patients of unknown age, resulting in Toxocara seroprevalences of 23.3%, 32.8% and 17.7% respectively. The reasons for these serological differences in the rural and urban areas of Galicia, Spain are discussed.

Paratylenchus nanjingensis n. sp. was obtained from Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. This new species is characterized by having a female with a slender, vermiform body (243–279 μm), head with distinct submedian lobes, slender and long stylet (64–68 μm), anchor-shaped stylet knobs, excretory pore anterior to the level of the stylet knobs, small lateral vulval flaps and lateral field with four lines; and male with more distinct body annuli, stylet lacking and pharynx degenerate. The internal transcribed spacer sequences of ribosomal RNA (ITS rRNA) gene of the new species were amplified and sequenced in this study. The phylogenetic relationships of the new species with other Paratylenchus species using the ITS rRNA gene sequences are given.

Thirty-one faecal samples were collected from red deer in the northern area of Varese, in the Italian region of Lombardy, between August and October 2008. The animals had either been hunted or accidently killed. Examination for internal parasites showed a prevalence of 45.2% for Elaphostrongylus cervi larvae and species identification was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Ninety-seven faecal samples were also collected from two goat flocks grazing in the same area between December 2007 and May 2008. These showed a prevalence of 74.7% for lungworms. Furthermore, the central nervous systems from five goats and one sheep from this area with a history of neurologically related lameness were examined. Histopathology confirmed E. cervi cerebro- spinal nematodiasis in five cases out of six. This study demonstrates E. cervi transmission from wild to domestic ruminants when the animals graze in the same area, and the possible occurrence of clinical disease in infected goats and sheep associated with high prevalence in deer.

The main goals of this study were to compare the richness of parasitic trematodes in amphibians with diverse habits (terrestrial, fossorial, semi-aquatic and arboreal), and to evaluate whether the composition of the trematode community is determined by ecological relationships. Specimens were collected between April 2001 and December 2006 from a common area (30 ha) in Corrientes Province, Argentina. Trematodes of amphibians in this area comprised a total of 19 species, and were dominated by common species. Larval trematodes presented highest species richness, with the metacercaria of Bursotrema tetracotyloides being dominant in the majority (7/9, 78%) of the parasite communities. Adults of the trematode Catadiscus inopinatus were dominant in the majority (6/9, 67%) of amphibians. The amphibians Leptodactylus latinasus, Leptodactylus bufonius and Scinax nasicus presented a high diversity of trematodes, whereas Leptodactylus chaquensis had the lowest diversity even though it presented with the highest species richness. The patterns of similarity among amphibian species showed groups linking with their habitats. Leptodactilid amphibians, with a generalist diet and an active foraging strategy showed highest infection rates with adult trematodes. The mean richness of trematode species related to host's habitat preferences was higher in semi-aquatic amphibians. Results suggest that semi-aquatic amphibians, present in both aquatic and terrestrial environments, present a greater diversity of parasites as they have a higher rate of exposure to a wider range of prey species and, hence, to diverse infective states. The trematode composition is related to the diets and mobility of the host, and habitat.

The following material was sent to the Department of Helminthology of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in three groups; two lots coming from Mr. Aneurin Lewis, of the Veterinary Research Station at Kabete, Kenya Colony, and the third lot from the Director of Veterinary Services, Uganda. For this latter, the writer is indebted to the Imperial Bureau of Agricultural Parasitology. The major part of the material was placed at his disposal by Professor R. T. Leiper, F.R.S., to whom he wishes to express his sincere thanks.

In a recent paper the writer (Goodey, 1943) dealt with the systematic position of the vinegar eelworm and certain related species. A new subfamily, Turbatricinae, was erected and a new genus, Turbator, proposed for 7 species possessing morphological features differentiating them from the vinegar eelworm, Turbatrix aceti (Müller, 1873) v. aceti Peters, 1927. In regard to this paper, Dr. Gerald Thorne has sent a letter to the writer in which he has been kind enough to draw attention to two points which, in his view, call for emendation and correction, as follows.

Previous studies have shown considerable variability in morphological features and the existence of genetically distinct sibling species in the acanthocephalan Echinorhynchus gadi Zoega in Müller, 1776. The aim of the present study was to follow up and extend those earlier studies by using a combination of DNA analysis and morphometrics to investigate differences between samples of E. gadi from Atlantic cod Gadus morhua L. caught at five fishing grounds in the Baltic Sea and three in different parts of the North Atlantic. Twelve morphological features were measured in 431 specimens of E. gadi, 99 individuals were studied by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphosm (PCR-RFLP), and selected PCR products were sequenced. The molecular analyses showed the nucleotide sequences of E. gadi rDNA from cod caught at all the sampling sites to be identical. The comparative morphological study, in contrast, revealed significant differences between samples of E. gadi from different sampling sites and showed the separation of E. gadi into two groups corresponding approximately to the systematic classification of cod into the two subspecies, Atlantic G. morhua morhua and Baltic G. morhua callarias. The E. gadi infrapopulation size had a significant effect on some of the morphological features. The results are discussed in relation to cod population biology, the hydrography of the study area and the history of the Baltic Sea formation.

The genus Heterodera comprises three species, the root-knot nematode, H. marioni (Cornu 1879) Goodey 1932, and the two species in which cysts are produced. These are, H. schachtii Schmidt 1871, which is associated with disease in potatoes, sugar beet, cereals, peas and some other crops, and H. punctata Thorne 1928, which has caused disease of wheat in Canada, and has been found in this country infesting a common grass Agrostis stolonifera L.

The genus Philometra was revised by the writer in 1963 and in continuation of these studies a few more new hosts have been recorded for this genus. The genus Philometroides Yamaguti, 1935 has been reported for the first time from the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent and a new species has been added to it.

A survey of the helminths parasitising the gastro-intestinal tract of lambs in Northern Ireland is described. Twenty-four species were identified from the three hundred and seventy-two animals examined, which were drawn from abattoirs in different areas.

The major species found in the abomasum were Ostertagia circumcincta, 0. trifurcata, 0. pinnata and Trichosirongylus axei. Nematodints battus, N. filicollis, T. vitrinus and Cooperia curticei were the most prevalent species in the small intestine. Some observations are made on the relative incidence and role in the production of parasitic gastro-enteritis.

In investigating the occurrence of helminthic parasites of wild birds it must be borne in mind that birds are migratory animals so that their parasites may be carried over a wide area. Also it is known that the intermediate hosts of bird helminths are in many cases very widely distributed and that in other cases species nearly related may act as alternative intermediate hosts.

1. Observations have been made on the behaviour of S. ornatum in relation to its role as a vector of O. gutturosa, a common parasite of cattle in Britain.

2. Most of the S. ornatum biting cattle alight on the ventral surface of the animal and it has been shown that this behaviour is affected by the degree of illumination.

3. The umbilicus is the preferred site for a blood meal by S. ornatum and it is this region where the microfilarial density is the highest.

4. The biting behaviour of S. ornatum is affected by the arrangement of the hair in relation to the skin surface. The umbilicus is preferred because here the hairs are so arranged that the flies readily gain access to the skin. The teats are bitten usually when fly activity is very heavy and then the umbilicus is covered with feeding S. ornatum.

5. The mean number of O. gutturosa microfilariae ingested by S. ornatum, but not the quantity of blood, increases with increased time spent feeding on an infected animal.

6. There is no causal relationship between the loss of blood per anum during and after feeding and the number of microfilariae ingested by S. ornatum.

7. Few microfilariae of O. gutturosa are lost per anum by S. ornatum during feeding despite the loss of blood by this route from the majority of flies.

8. The infective larvae of O. gutturosa are deposited by S. ornatum in the skin of the umbilicus of the cow from where they migrate to the neck or gastro-splenic region. This suggests that the worms possess an inherent directional mechanism determining their final site of development and that the point of inoculation of the infective larvae may have less importance in determining the sites of final maturation of Onchocerca species than has hitherto been believed.

A dot-blot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (dot-blot ELISA) using an electroeluted 31-kDa glycoprotein from adult worms of Parastrongylus cantonensis as the specific antigen was evaluated for the immunological diagnosis of patients infected with P. cantonensis. The sensitivity and specificity for the detection of serum antibody to P. cantonensis in dot-blot ELISA were both 100%, as determined with serum samples of ten P. cantonensis-infected patients, 60 patients with other related parasitic infections, and 20 uninfected controls. The test was as sensitive and specific as the immunoblot test which revealed a reactive band of 31 kDa. Both the dot-blot ELISA and immunoblot detected all sera from ten P. cantonensis-infected individuals, but not with those of other heterologous parasitoses (gnathostomiasis, toxocariasis, filariasis, paragonimiasis, cysticercosis and malaria) or sera from healthy controls. The dot-blot ELISA is much simpler to perform than the immunoblot technique, and the test can be applied under field conditions where sophisticated facilities are lacking.

The life-cycle of Syphacia muris is described in primary infections of Wistar rats. The life-cycle of S. muris is completed within seven days and no moults were discovered inside the egg. Instead each of two moults were observed outside the egg up to 24 and 40 hours after infection, and TEM studies suggest a third moult occurs up to 64 hours. The development and maturation of the larval stages are described for the first time using both light and electron microscopy. Differences in the size and growth of female S. muris compared with previously published figures could be due to differences in the strains of rats used.

1. P.silusiae is shown to be unable to resist desiccation on a microscope slide for periods above half an hour, although larvae within the uterus of the mother can survive for somewhat longer periods.

2. When “protected” by a colloidal gel, the worms are shown to resist desiccation for several months. Such “protected” worms are more resistant to temperature extremes than “non-protected” ones.

8. P. silusiae is immobilized in glucose solutions above 1M strength, although it can resume mobility on dilution of the solution, even after fourteen days in 4 M glucose solution.

4. P. silusiae is shown to be positively chemotactic towards oxygen, in addition the gravid females are negatively geotactic.

5. Drosophila fimcbr is is shown to act as a dispersal agent for P. silusiae.

A skin infection called by the local Malays “ sawah itch ” has been known in Negri Sembilan, Federated Malay States, for some years, where it has been recorded from widely distributed areas in this State and also from the rice-fields adjoining the Tampin-Malacca road. It is essentially associated with padi-cultivation and is especially prevalent during those periods when the soil is being ploughed or “ chankolled ” prior to planting with rice seedlings, which occupation necessitates workers spending hours each day with their legs submerged in the mud and water of the sawah. (Sawah = swamp or tract of ground covered with water.) I am indebted to Dr. J. W. Field of the Institute for Medical Research, F.M.S., for permission to quote the following extract from his unpublished report on “ sawah itch.”

The immunology of Ascaris suum was studied in vitro using the fluorescent antibody technique. Fluorescein isothiocyanate labelling of globulin was used in the direct and indirect method and by a combination of both methods.

Fluorescein labelled antibody was incorporated into precipitates at the mouth, excretory pore, anus and on the cuticle of third stage larvae.

The possible intercuticular localization of fluorescent antibody in moulting larvae and fluorescence of the ends of broken larvae were further observed.

Circumlarval precipitates did not form nor did the larvae fluoresce in normal serum.

The results indicate (1) that antigenic sites are located at the natural orifices and cuticle and (2) that the dead internal tissues and possibly the moulting substance are also antigenic.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of local immune cell infiltration in human cystic echinococcosis (CE) by identifying the subtypes of immune cells using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Fifty surgically removed hydatid cyst samples and surrounding tissues were collected from patients referred to Al-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. IHC was performed on the surrounding host tissue of hydatid cysts using anti-human CD3, CD19, CD8, CD4, CD68, CD56, Ki-67 and Foxp3 (forkhead box P3) antibodies. The results were then compared to hepatocellular carcinoma and chronic hepatitis. In the host-tissue reaction site of liver hydatid cysts, a distinct pattern of local immune cell response, which outwardly consisted of a pack of the fibrous elements, a layer of palisading macrophages, an eosinophil-containing layer and a layer of accumulated lymphocytes, was observed. However, in some cases there were no positive cells for CD56+ natural killer cells and Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. The CD3+ T cells were the predominant inflammatory cells in all groups, followed by CD19+ B cells. It can be concluded that different immune cells are involved in the local response to human hydatid cysts.

1. Three exceedingly interesting parasites of the super-family Ascaridoidea have been discussed in this paper. A new genus Lappetascaris is described from two different kinds of fish and a new subfamily has been established to include this genus. The latter is based on its peculiar head structures and the cuticle.

2. Thynnascaris inquies (Linton, 1901) n.comb, is reported for the first time since its original description, from the type host of a new locality.

3. Goezia intermedia n.sp. is described and a comparative study of the related species has been carried out.