Fasciola jacksoni is a significant contributor to the health and mortality of Asian elephants, particularly those in Sri Lanka. Despite the impact of fascioliasis on elephant populations, it is a neglected veterinary disease with limited taxonomic understanding. Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of F. jacksoni were carried out to evaluate its suggested basal position in the Fasciolidae. Adult worms were collected during post-mortem of elephants, and eggs were collected from living elephants in National parks across Sri Lanka. Using the mitochondrial genes nicotinamide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (cox1), and a partial 28S ribosomal DNA (28S rDNA), DNA sequences were generated from the F. jacksoni adult and egg material. Maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analyses did not resolve F. jacksoni to be basal to the Fasciolidae. Furthermore, the ML analyses showed that the genus Fasciola was not monophyletic and that F. jacksoni was a sister species to the deer liver fluke Fascioloides magna. A clear framework is required to determine the taxonomic status of F. jacksoni and this current study provides the first detailed application of molecular techniques from multiple hosts across Sri Lanka with the production of reference DNA sequences for this important parasite.

The object of this paper is to draw attention to certain grave sources of error underlying the present mode of differentiating Anoplura and more especially species of the sub-order Siphunculata. I am unable to say if the criticisms herewith advanced apply equally to the methods employed in differentiating members of the sub-order Mallophaga, because I am not familiar with the latter group, but the two sub-orders mentioned are in many respects so closely allied that it appears difficult to avoid the suspicion that the considerations herein contained may apply equally in both cases.

It has been shown that Atropa belladonna acts as a symptomless carrier of Hyosoyamus Virus I. Some symptoms caused by this virus on other solanaceous plants are described.

A naturally occurring virus complex in Hyoscyamus niger was found to consist of Solanum Virus I (potato virus X) and Brassica Virus I. During the course of the investigation it was found that potato virus X forms local lesions on the cotyledons of ridge cucumber without systemic infection and that Brassica Virus I behaves similarly on the inoculated leaves of Nicotiana sylvestris.

There is considerable confusion concerning Sarcocystis species in equids. Little is known of Sarcocystis infections in donkeys (Equus asinus). Here we describe the structure of Sarcocystis bertrami-like from the donkey by light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Nineteen sarcocysts from the tongue of a donkey from Egypt were studied both by LM and TEM. By LM, all sarcocysts had variably shaped and sized projections on the sarcocyst walls, giving it a thin-walled to thick-walled appearance, depending on individual sarcocyst and plane of section. By TEM, sarcocysts walls had villar protrusions (vp) of type 11. The sarcocyst wall had conical to slender vp, up to 6 µm long and 1 µm wide; the vp were folded over the sarcocyst wall. The total thickness of the sarcocyst wall with ground substance layer (gs) was 1–3 µm. The vp had microtubules (mt) that originated deeper in the gs and continued up to the tip. The apical part of the vp had electron dense granules. The mt were configured into 3 types: a tuft of electron dense mt1 extending the entire length of the vp with a tuft of medium electron dense mt2 appearing in parallel, and fine mt3 present only in the villar tips. The gs was mainly smooth with few indistinct granules. All sarcocysts were mature and contained metrocytes and bradyzoites. Bradyzoites were approximately 11–15 × 2–3 µm in size with typical organelles.

In the mouse pinworm, Aspiculuris tetraptera, the basic features of the process of osmotic regulation is similar to the process in other nematodes such as Parascaris equorum, Rhabditis terrestris and Hammerschmidtiella diesingi. The ability to osmoregulate is, however, utilized more effectively in a hypertonic than in a hypotonic solution.

The body fluid is isotonic with 35 % sea water. The relative accuracy of this value is confirmed by direct measurements of the depression of freezing point of the body fluid. This is approximately 0.68–0.69 °C, which is approximately 0.12 % NaCl, which is higher than the value for Ascaris (= 0.655 °C).

My thanks are due to Dr D. L. Lee for helpful discussions on some aspects of this study.

Oncomelania nosophora (Gastropoda: Pomatiopsidae) is the intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum in Japan. Although most of the snails were eliminated during the 20th century, they are still found in two areas in Japan. One area is in the Kofu Basin, including Nirasaki City, in Yamanashi Prefecture. The other is the Obitsu River Basin in Kisarazu City, Chiba Prefecture. Snails collected in Nirasaki and Kisarazu were exposed to 3 geographical strains of S. japonicum originating from Japan, China, and the Philippines. Both isolates of O. nosophora showed high susceptibility to the Japanese strain of S. japonicum (74·0%–82·2% for the Nirasaki isolate and 58·0%–56·0% for the Kisarazu isolate) and low susceptibility to the Chinese strain (0·0%–1·3% and 1·4%–7·9% respectively). In contrast, the susceptibility of the snails to the Philippine strain was significantly different (P<0·01) between the isolates (3·3%–6·6% for the Nirasaki isolate and 31·9%–75·9% for the Kisarazu isolate). To examine the differences in infectivity in detail, we conducted histological observations of snails exposed to the Philippine strain at 3 h, 1, 3, and 15 days after miracidial exposure. We found differences in the development of the parasite between the isolates of snails from early after exposure.

The major surface immunodominant antigen (P30) of Toxoplasma gondii was purified by two methods (i) SDS–PAGE and (ii) immunoaffinity chromatography. The secondary elements within this protein were assessed by circular dichroism and spectra obtained were compared to those proposed by Manavalan & Johnson (1983). The results allowed us to determine an all β protein status for this antigen. This experimental result was in agreement with the predicted secondary structures deduced from the P30 primary sequence. Modifications in conformation according to pH and temperature were recorded without any change in immunoactivity. The epitope, which was always recognized by a monoclonal antibody against P30, could be a linear epitope.

The genus Diaphanocephalus was erected by Diesing in 1851 to contain certain species included in Rudolphi's Synopsis in the old genus Strongylus. The species in question were Strongylus galeatus Rud., 1819, re-named Diaphanocephalus strongyloides by Diesing, and subsequently indicated as the type-species of the genus; S. costatus; and possible S. viperae Rud., which Diesing listed as a species inquirenda. In deciding upon the necessity for the new genus Diesing seems to have been influenced largely by the characters of the head. His diagnosis shows that he considered the supporting rays of the buccal capsule to be four only in number, regarding two of these as divided each into two distinct processes. Molin (1861) gave an emended diagnosis of Diesing's genus and proposed the new genus Kalicephalus for certain other strongyle parasites in reptiles. It has already been pointed out (Baylis and Daubney) that the generic characters used by Molin are unreliable and that Railliet and Henry (1909) were justified in abolishing Kalicephalus in favour of the older genus, Diaphanocephalus. Recently, Skrjabin (1916) has given a diagnosis of the genus. Through the kindness of Dr H. A. Baylis the writer has been able to examine specimens in the collection of the British Museum (Natural History), and the Wellcome Bureau of Scientific Research. The material examined includes four specimens of the genus Diaphanocephalus.

Medication of chicks with 70p.p.m. arprinoeid in the food, starting 2 days prior to inoculation with Eimeria tenella, resulted in decreased oocyst production and oocyst sporulation. The main morphological alteration seen during the development of the second-generation schizont was a reduction in the number of second-generation merozoites due to incomplete merogony, resulting in large masses of vacuolated residual cytoplasm. In places around the developing macrogamete the integrity of the parasitophorous vacuole was lost by either the host cell limiting membrane making contact with the parasite pellicle, or the disruption of one or both of these surfaces apparently brought about by the intervention of the host cell mitochondria. Thirty p.p.m. arprinocid reduced sporulation of the oocysts of E. brunetti and caused enlargement of the perinuclear space in the late merozoites and swelling of the endoplasmic reticulum around wall-forming bodies II.

Levamisole (Lms) is an anthelminthic drug with immunomodulatory activity. Chagas disease (CD) is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and there is very low access to the drugs available, benznidazole (Bz) and nifurtimox, both far from ideal. In a drug-repurposing strategy to test potential activity as antiparasitic and immunomodulatory agent for CD, Lms was assayed on acute T. cruzi murine infection, alone and in co-administration with Bz. During protocol standardization, 100 and 10 mpk of Bz given for five consecutive days resulted in parasitaemia suppression and 100% animal survival only with the highest dose. Flow cytometry showed that both optimal (100 mpk) and suboptimal (10 mpk) doses of Bz equally decreased the plasma levels of cytokines commonly elevated in this acute infection model. Lms alone (10–0.5 mpk) did not decrease parasitaemia nor mortality rates. Co-administration was investigated using the suboptimal dose of Bz and different doses of Lms. While Bz 10 mpk did not alter parasitaemia, the combo partially reduced it but only slightly promoted animal survival. This effect could be related to Th1-response modulation since interleukin-6 and interferon-γ were higher after treatment with the combo.

In this study, we evaluated the efficacy, expressed as a mean weight decrease of the whole echinococcal cyst mass, of novel benzimidazole salt formulations in a murine Echinococcus granulosus infection model. BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally infected with protoscoleces of E. granulosus (genotype G1). At 9 months post-infection, treatment with albendazole (ABZ), ricobendazole (RBZ) salt formulations, and RBZ enantiomer salts (R)-(+)-RBZ-Na and (S)-(−)-RBZ-Na formulations were initiated. Drugs were orally applied by gavage at 10 mg kg−1 body weight per day during 30 days. Experimental treatments with benzimidazole sodium salts resulted in a significant reduction of the weight of cysts compared to conventional ABZ treatment, except for the (S)-(−)-RBZ-Na enantiomer formulation. Scanning electron microscopy and histological inspection revealed that treatments impacted not only the structural integrity of the parasite tissue in the germinal layer, but also induced alterations in the laminated layer. Overall, these results demonstrate the improved efficacy of benzimidazole salt formulations compared to conventional ABZ treatment in experimental murine cystic echinococcosis.

Hematodinium is a parasitic dinoflagellate of numerous crustacean species, including the economically important Atlantic snow crab, Chionoecetes opilio. The parasite was cultured in vitro in modified Nephrops medium at 0°C and a partial characterization of the life stages was accomplished using light and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In haemolymph from heavily infected snow crabs two life stages were detected; amoeboid trophonts and sporonts. During in vitro cultivation, several Hematodinium sp. life stages were observed: trophonts, clump colonies, sporonts, arachnoid sporonts, sporoblasts and dinospores. Cultures initiated with sporonts progressed to motile dinospores; however, those initiated with amoeboid trophonts proliferated, but did not progress or formed schizont-like stages which were senescent artefacts. Plasmodial stages were associated with both trophonts and sporonts and could be differentiated by the presence of trichocysts on TEM. Macrodinospores were observed but not microdinospores; likely due to the low number of Hematodinium sp. cultures that progressed to the dinospore stage. No early life stages including motile filamentous trophonts or gorgonlocks were observed as previously noted in Hematodinium spp. from other crustacean hosts. All Hematodinium sp. life stages contained autofluorescent, membrane-bound electron dense granules that appeared to degranulate or be expelled from the cell during in vitro cultivation.

Bloodfeeding requires several adaptations that allow the parasite to feed efficiently. Leeches and other hematophagous animals have developed different mechanisms to inhibit hemostasis, one of the main barriers imposed by their hosts. Limnobdella mexicana is a member of the leech family Praobdellidae, a family of host generalists known for their preference to attach on mucosal membranes of mammals, such as those in nasopharyngeal cavities, bladders and ocular orbits. Previous studies have hypothesized a positive relationship between diversity of anticoagulants and diversity of hosts in bloodfeeding leeches. However, orthology determination of putative anticoagulants and the lack of standardization of sequencing effort and method hinder comparisons between publicly available transcriptomes generated in different laboratories. In the present study, we examine the first transcriptome of a praobdellid leech and identify 15 putative anticoagulants using a phylogeny-based inference approach, amino-acid conservation, Pfam domains and BLAST searches. Our phylogenetic analyses suggest that the ancestral leech was able to inhibit factor Xa and that some hirudins that have been reported in previous studies on leech anticoagulants may not be orthologous with the archetypal hirudin.