Les collections de l'lnstitut Pasteur possèdent un assez grand nombre d'exemplaires, à tous les stades, d'un curieux Argasiné recueilli en 1911 par la mission Bouet-Roubaud, au cours de son exploration parasitologique des régions soudanaises de I'Afrique Occidentale française. Cet Acarien avait été rencontré par G. Bouet à, Djenné, dans des trous d'arbres ou des cases obscures servant de refuges à plusieurs espèces de chauve-souris: Hipposiderus tridens Et. Geoff., Taphozoüs perforatum Geoff., cette dernière espèce parasitée par un trypanosome.

In this brief note it is not my intention to enter into detailed criticism, but merely to express my surprise and that of other proto-zoologists, that the personal opinions of the Recorder should be allowed insertion in the Zoological Record (1909) which is also the International Catalogue of Zoological Scientific Literature. Against this procedure I beg to record an emphatic protest.

Infective Haemonchus contortus cayugensis larvae were stimulated to exsheath in 0·02 m-Na2B4O7. 10H2O, into which was bubbled CO2. The larvae under the exsheathing stimulus were found to be coiled and sluggish. The larvae became very active after most of the CO2 was removed by compressed air, oxygen or nitrogen. The exsheathment rate in each of the latter instances was higher than when larvae were exsheathed completely in an atmosphere of CO2. Carbon dioxide is an essential component of the exsheathing stimulus, but the continued presence of a high pCO2 or carbonic reaction products appeared to inhibit larval motility and caused lower exsheathment rates.

Under the research programme of the U.S. Public Health Service, Communicable Disease Centre Activities, the parasitic fauna of rodents and insectivores of the United States are coming into the laboratories in great numbers, and it has been my good fortune to have had the opportunity to examine a fair number of the parasitic mites collected from a diversity of hosts.

New treatment strategies for schistosomiasis should be evaluated, since resistant strains to the only available drug, Praziquantel, have already been described. Thus, we demonstrated antiparasitic effects of ethanolic extracts of Jatropha gossypiifolia and Piper arboreum on cercariae and adult worms of Schistosoma mansoni. The bioassays were performed at 0–10 000 μg mL−1 concentration for 0–72 h. Adult worms were stained with carmine to assess external and internal damage. The chemical screening was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography. P. arboreum displayed the best cercaricidal effect, with a 100% reduction in viability in just 60 min. The extract of J. gossypiifolia was more effective against adult worms, with 100% viability reduction of male and female worms after 12 and 24 h, respectively. P. arboreum and J. gossypiifolia were equally effective in inhibiting the oviposition of S. mansoni (93% reduction) and causing damage to internal and external structures in adult worms. Flavonoids were identified in both the extracts and phenolic compounds and amides only in P. arboreum. Thus, for the first time, it was proven that ethanolic extracts of P. arboreum and J. gossypiifolia leaves are biologically active against cercariae and adult worms of S. mansoni in vitro.

During the summer months in Mesopotamia body-lice become extremely scarce on man, so much so that it may be difficult to find them even on men who are renowned for lousiness at other seasons of the year. When the nights become cold, as they often do rather suddenly towards the end of November, lice rapidly become numerous, this coinciding with the reissue of winter under-linen which has been stored through the summer in Ordnance dumps.

A genomic library of Meloidogyne incognita Race 1 has been prepared in the bacteriophage λgt10 and screened for specific DNA sequences by hybridization with radio-isotope labelled total genomic DNA from a number of Meloidogyne species. One clone isolated (MR1#15), although not totally species specific, clearly showed preferential hybridization to M. incognita. Following subcloning and sequencing of the 255 bp insert, four stretches of the sequence corresponding to oligonucleotides of approximately equal length (~60 bp) were synthesized and examined for specificity. One of them, MR1#15.2, showed the necessary specificity to be used as a diagnostic tool.

Prion diseases of humans and other animals have clinical, economic and political significance. Pre-mortem diagnosis is therefore of great importance. Clinical diagnostic criteria and the current status of the available diagnostic tests are reviewed and possible future developments discussed. Presently, most diagnostic tests are indirect, relying on findings that may not be confined to prion diseases rather than on their particular intrinsic nature. They are therefore not absolutely specific nor are they 100% sensitive. The electroencephalogram (EEG), cerebral imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis are the main techniques employed. However, there is hope that useful blood tests could be developed which would be simpler and less invasive. Also, there is hope that more specific tests will become available.

Giardia intestinalis is a parasitic protozoan that inhabits its vertebrate hosts' upper small intestine and is the most common cause of waterborne diarrhoea worldwide. Giardia trophozoites present few organelles, and among them, they possess peripheral vesicles (PVs), which are considered an endosomal–lysosomal system. All experimental procedures carried out until now indicate that Giardia ingests macromolecules by fluid-phase and receptor-mediated endocytic pathways. Still, there is no description concerning the interaction and ingestion of large materials. Here, we tested Giardia's capacity to interact with large particles; once, in vivo, it inhabits an environment with a microbiota. We tested protozoan interaction with yeasts, bacteria, latex beads, ferritin and albumin, in different times of interaction and used several microscopy techniques (light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy) to follow their fate. Giardia interacted with all of the materials we tested. Projections of the plasma membrane similar to pseudopods were seen. As albumin, small markers were found in the PVs while the larger materials were not seen there. Large vacuoles containing large latex beads were detected intracellularly. Thus, we observed that: (1) Giardia interacts with large materials; (2) Giardia can display an amoeboid shape and exhibit membrane projections when in contact with microorganisms and large inorganic materials; (3) the region of the exit of the ventral flagella is very active when in contact with large materials, although all cell surface also present activity in the interactions; (4) intracellular vacuoles, which are not the PVs, present ingested large beads.

1. Regarding attempts at immunization by means of immune serum. The experiments of Nocard and Motas indicated that protective substances occur in the blood of dogs which have recovered from European piroplasmosis. These authors claimed that immune serum destroys the parasites and that it exerts a protective and curative effect upon the disease. Similar experiments conducted by Robertson in Cape Colony gave contrary results to those of Nocard and Motas. In the absence of further evidence no conclusions can therefore be drawn from these conflicting results. Two of Robertson's dogs which received injections of hyperimmune serum every day after they showed fever, died but no parasites could be found in their blood at death. This result suggests that a partial immunity may have been obtained by the treatment.

2. Regarding attempts at immunization by means of inoculations with blood containing dead parasites. Of the five dogs which we attempted to immunize in the manner we have described, three died of acute piroplasmosis; one died without parasites in its blood although parasites had been previously found; one dog died on the 36th day from chronic piroplasmosis. The absence of parasites in the blood of one dog at autopsy and the occurrence of chronic piroplasmosis in another dog may or may not indicate a partial acquisition of immunity. In any case the experiments afford no evidence that practical results are likely to follow further investigation of this character.

3. The duration of immunity following recovery is undetermined since there are no experiments to prove that animals are immune after the parasites have completely disappeared from their blood. In the socalled “immune,” “recovered,” or “salted” dogs, the animals harbour parasites in small numbers for weeks, months or years, consequently such dogs are suffering from a mild chronic form of piroplasmosis. Whilst subject to this mild form of the disease dogs usually escape acute infection when reinoculated with the parasite.

4. The parasites of piroplasmosis canis may persist in the blood of apparently recovered dogs for a considerable length of time, 6 months to 2 years, and so long as they are present in the blood the latter remains fully virulent for clean dogs. Consequently there is no evidence that the African Piroplasma canis becomes modified in its virulence during the course of chronic piroplasmosis. According to Nocard and Motas the European P. canis does become modified in its virulence in dogs suffering from chronic piroplasmosis. It should be noted that the European disease is a milder affection than the African.

5. The passage of the African P. canis through two series of dogs, that is through upwards of 90 animals in the course of two and a half years, has shown that the parasite may be communicated by inoculation from dog to dog for an indefinite period. No evidence was obtained that P. canis is in any way modified in its virulence by passage through dogs. In a number of dogs which were inoculated with post-mortem blood the disease developed more slowly than usual but nevertheless led to a fatal issue.

6. The onset of fever after inoculation with virulent blood may precede or succeed the appearance of P. canis in the peripheral circulation. Occasionally the disease may run its course to a fatal termination without the appearance of febrile symptoms.

1. Systematic measurements of all hookworm-like eggs from time faeces of 336 patients in Mauritius led to the finding of 8 per cent Trichostrongyle, 0·9 per cent Ternidens deminutus, and 0·9 per cent Ancylostoma braziliense-like eggs.

2. This percentage of Trichostrongyle eggs includes one case from an inhabitant of the French colony, Réunion.

3. Hookworm eggs of a very small size, possibly Ancylostoma braziliense were found unassociated with the typical Necator americanus eggs, in the faeces of an inhabitant of Rodriguez; the adult worms appeared drug-resistant.

4. A partial eradication of the Trichostrongyles was obtained in one case, and an apparently complete eradication in another, of 6 patients treated with carbon tetrachloride.

5. The Trichostrongyles expelled by one of the patients were identified as Trichostrongylus axei (Cobbold, 1879) Railliet & Henry (1909).

6. No particular symptoms which could be ascribed to the action of the Trichostrongyles were observed in any of the affected patients.

7. Drugs administered orally to a patient passing Ternidens deminutus-like eggs failed to dislodge any of his worms.

Among material recently sent for identification by the Molteno Institute of Parasitology were a number of small Nematode worms collected by Mr E. A. Chapin from the rectum of the North American Tortoise, Cistudo Carolina.

Electrophoresis of secretions collected from Globodera pallida revealed a smeared region between 25 and 50 kDa, and a single band of <20 kDa. The secretions were used to raise an antiserum (LW1). Immunoblotting of parasite homogenates with LW1 differentiated G. pallida from its sibling species G. rostochiensis and revealed differences between different populations of G. pallida and G. rostochiensis. Indirect immunofluorescence studies with LW1 indicated that at least some of the secretions were surface localized and that antibody binding to the nematode surface was periodate sensitive. Periodate sensitivity indicated that these differences could be due to glycosylation differences. Glycosylation differences were also detected by blotting nematode homogenates with the lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). WGA was also able to differentiate between G. rostochiensis which gave 2 bands at 130 kDa and 110 kDa, and G. pallida which produced 2 bands present at 120 kDa and 110 kDa. Further localization studies using immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that antibody binding could be seen to secretions found in the pump chamber of the metacorpal bulb at the base of the stylet. From further specimens it could be observed that the contents of the subventral glands were heavily labelled, indicating that the material seen in the metacorpal bulb had originated from the subventral glands.

Judged by oocyst production, infections with Eimeria acervulina in birds immunized with E. maxima were consistently higher than in birds which had not been immunized. Oocyst production of E. maxima in birds previously infected with E. acervulina was greater, in three out of four experiments, than in control chickens, but some of the differences were slight. The findings are discussed but no satisfactory explanation can be offered. In general there was little or no difference between the oocyst production of the individual species when present as single or mixed infections.

Since the publication of Part IV (Stewart, 1919), four papers dealing with the life-history of Ascaris lumbricoides have appeared.

(1) Ransom and Foster (1920) give a full account of their work, preliminary reports of which have already been published (1917 and 1919).

As evidence in the problem of whether the worm can undergo full development in one host alone, they attach great importance to two experiments, one on a kid and one on a lamb, in which after the administration of ripe eggs of A. suilla, they recovered worms from the intestines. In the kid, which died 24 days after the first feeding, the worms measured from 4·3 to 11·4 mm.; in the lamb, which was killed 103 days after feeding, the worms measured from 60 to 110 mm. The authors consider that, as Ascaris infection is uncommon in goats and sheep, the worms may without doubt be ascribed to the experimental feeding. They record five experiments on pigs which gave doubtful results, since the pigs fed with Ascaris eggs were found, after varying periods, to be on the average less infected with Ascaris than pigs which were kept as controls, and had not been so fed.

In the summer of 1916, during the advance across Sinai, the prevalence of amoebic dysentery amongst our troops occasioned the appointment of a Protozoologist to the Field Laboratories. While I was engaged in this capacity the work recorded in this paper was carried out.