A new category of signalling molecules – transmitter gases – has appeared. Nitric oxide (NO) is generated by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and diffuses as a short-lived transcellular messenger through the plasma membrane. NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) is a marker enzyme for NO-producing neurons. In this study the pattern of NADPH-d stained neurons in Diphyllobothrium dendriticum is described and compared to the pattern of aminergic and peptidergic neuronal elements and to that of the musculature stained with TRITC-labelled phalloidin. NADPH-d staining was observed in neurons in the bilobed brain and along the 2 main nerve cords and in nerve fibres close to the body musculature and the musculature of the reproductive ducts, the walls of the testicular follicles and in sensory endings in the tegument. The NADPH-d staining reaction and the 5-HT or FMRFamide immunoreactivities occur in separate sets of neurons.

The survival characteristics of Discocotyle sagittata larvae are both age- and temperature-dependent. In laboratory studies at constant temperatures of 6, 10, 13, 18 and 22°C, oncomiracidia had a maximum life-span of 96 h at 6°C, declining with increasing temperature to 26 h at 22°C. Larval swimming activity was also age dependent, and continued for a large proportion of survival time. The relationship between time at which larvae stop swimming as a proportion of total survival time was statistically significant between temperatures. Proportionally, oncomiracidia swam for longer periods at lower temperatures. As oncomiracidia age, they become progressively less active, spending less time in the water column. In contrast to observations recorded in the literature, D. sagittata larvae are infective soon after emergence (within the minimum of 2 h studied), and feed on blood from the gill capillaries within 2 h post-exposure. The temperature-dependent characteristics of the larval stage are likely to have important implications for seasonal changes in parasite transmission.

Egg production by the freshwater gill monogenean Discocotyle sagittata infecting rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was monitored at 5, 13 and 18°C; eggs were incubated at 6, 10, 13, 15, 16, 18, 22 and 26°C and the hatching times determined. Mean per capita output at 13°C ranged from 0·8 eggs/worm/day (e/w/d) to 18·3 e/w/d for 25 hosts (burdens 1–17 worms/host). Average egg production rates for worms in single burdens varied from 3 e/d to 14·6 e/d at 13°C, mean 7·6 e/d (±0·63) (n=8). Egg production was temperature dependent, increasing from a mean of 1·5 e/w/d at 5°C to 12·0 e/w/d at 18°C. Developmental rate was also temperature dependent: larvae began hatching after 84 days at 6°C, 28 days at 13°C, and 20 days at 18°C. Eggs laid within the same 24 h period hatched over 3–7 days at 13–18°C; this range was extended at decreasing temperatures. Egg viability was generally high: between 13 and 18°C a mean of 92% of larvae successfully emerged. However, viability declined at the highest and lowest temperatures (23% hatching at 6°C, 55% at 8°C and 47% at 26°C). The implications for seasonal parasite transmission are discussed.

There has been an enormous growth in the development of biotechnological applications, where advances in the techniques of microelectronic fabrication and the technologies of miniaturization and integration in semiconductor industries are being applied to the production of Laboratory-on-a-Chip devices. The aim of this development is to create devices that will perform the same processes that are currently carried out in the laboratory in reduced timescales, at a lower cost, requiring less reagents, and with a greater resolution of detection and specificity. The expectations of this Laboratory-on-a-Chip revolution is that this technology will facilitate rapid advances in gene discovery, genetic mapping and gene expression with broader applications ranging from infectious diseases and cancer diagnostics to food quality and environmental testing. A review of the current state of development in this field reveals the scale of the ongoing revolution and serves to highlight the advances that can be perceived in the development of Laboratory-on-a-Chip technologies. Since miniaturization can be applied to such a wide range of laboratory processes, some of the sub-units that can be used as building blocks in these devices are described, with a brief description of some of the fabrication processes that can be used to create them.

Infrapopulation dynamics of the nematode Rhabdias cf. hylae within naturally-infected Bufo marinus in north Queensland, Australia, were detailed. Over 80% of 580 toads were infected with Rh. cf. hylae with a mean intensity of 16·1. Distribution of Rh. cf. hylae within the toad population was aggregated, with an increase in the variance-to-mean ratio with increasing toad size. Intensity of infection and length of nematode were both correlated with length of toad in the smaller size classes. Length of nematode was not related to intensity of infection at any time. Mean intensity of infection rose significantly in small toads following initial infection after metamorphosis. Over the same period, average length of nematode did not increase implying constant re-infection of the toads. Larger toads were not reinfected to the same extent, and the number of uninfected toads in the larger size class increased which indicated a natural loss of infections. Changes in parameters of Rh. cf. hylae infection within B. marinus were attributed to seasonal rainfall and its subsequent effect on the behaviour of the toad.

Throughout the past decade much research has been directed towards identifying the occurrence, epidemiology, and risks associated with waterborne protozoa. While outbreaks are continually documented, sporadic cases of disease associated with exposure to low levels of waterborne protozoa are of increasing concern. Current methodologies may not be sensitive enough to define these low levels of disease. However, risk assessment methods may be utilised to address these low level contamination events. The purpose of this article is to provide an introduction to microbial risk assessment for waterborne protozoa. Risk assessment is a useful tool for evaluating relative risks and can be used for development of policies to decrease risks. Numerous studies have been published on risk assessment methods for pathogenic protozoa including Cryptosporidium and Giardia. One common notion prevails: microbial risk assessment presents interesting complications to the traditional chemical risk assessment paradigm. Single microbial exposures (non-threshold) are capable of causing symptomatic illness unlike traditional chemical exposures, which require a threshold to be reached. Due to the lack of efficient recovery and detection methods for protozoa, we may be underestimating the occurrence, concentration and distribution of these pathogenic micro-organisms. To better utilize the tool of microbial risk assessment for risk management practices, future research should focus in the area of exposure assessment.