Detailed knowledge of the effects of water on the migration of infective larvae of economically important trichostrongyloid species is urgently needed to feed into prediction models of future epidemiology. The influence of water on the migration of the parasitic nematodes Nematodirus battus, Haemonchus contortus and Teladorsagia circumcincta from sheep dung onto grass was examined in a series of laboratory experiments. Turf plots were seeded with larvae, which were recovered from grass clippings by serial sampling. Free water was necessary for larvae to escape from dung, but not for vertical migration onto grass. When temperature and relative humidity were held constant, the proportion of a population of live larvae present on herbage reached a plateau of around 2 (1–10)% after 24 h, and then changed little over time. Larvae in soil and dung formed a reservoir, such that a similar proportion of the larval population was maintained on grass after clipping. These findings suggest continuing random movement of free larvae. Implications for the epidemiology of trichostrongyloid species are discussed in the context of trade-offs faced by the parasites.

The decline in faecal egg counts, characteristic of calves which have been experimentally infected with Ostertagia ostertagi, is analysed using a mathematical model in which parasite fecundity is assumed to be an inverse function of both the duration and intensity of infection. The model incorporates a description of the frequency distribution of mature parasites between hosts (which is less over-dispersed than is usual for many other helminth infections). The model provides a good overall description of the decline in faecal egg production observed during trickle and single infection experiments. The main discrepancy between a comparison of the model predictions and the results of the most detailed available series of trickle infection experiments occurs at the initial peak of egg production. The magnitude of this difference appears to be related to the worm burden at the peak of egg production. The possible mechanisms underlying density-dependent regulation of the fecundity of O. ostertagia are discussed.

We investigated the blood-feeding behaviour of a natural population of the human-feeding mosquito Anopheles punctulatus in Iguruwe, Papua New Guinea. In particular we investigated the relationship between the mosquitoes' blood-feeding behaviour and their infection by the malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax. Female mosquitoes were caught at 4 times of the night, the amount of blood they had obtained was measured and their status of infection was evaluated. Among uninfected mosquitoes the bloodmeal size steadily increased through the night, possibly because they were progressively less likely to be disturbed by human activity as the night drew on. Infected mosquitoes, on the other hand, tended to feed maximally at all times of the night. This suggests that infected mosquitoes were more tenacious in their blood-feeding behaviour, being either less readily disturbed during a bout of feeding (and thus feeding longer) or more likely to return to continue their feed following disturbance (and thus feeding several times). Either change would increase the parasites' rate of transmission. We conclude that in this natural situation the two species of malaria parasites modified the mosquitoes' behaviour with the effect of increasing their own transmission.

Control of equine nematodes has relied on benzimidazoles (BZs), tetrahydropyrimidines and macrocyclic lactones. The intensive use of anthelmintics has led to the development of anthelmintic resistance (AR) in equine cyathostomins and Parascaris equorum. Field studies indicate that BZ and pyrantel resistance is widespread in cyathostomins and there are also increasing reports of resistance to macrocyclic lactones in cyathostomins and P. equorum. The unavailability of reliable laboratory-based techniques for detecting resistance further augments the problem of nematode control in horses. The only reliable test used in horses is the fecal egg count reduction test; therefore, more focus should be given to develop and validate improved methodologies for diagnosing AR at an early stage, as well as determining the mechanisms involved in resistance development. Therefore, equine industry and researchers should devise and implement new strategies for equine worm control, such as the use of bioactive pastures or novel feed additives, and control should increasingly incorporate alternative and evidence-based parasite control strategies to limit the development of AR. This review describes the history and prevalence of AR in equine nematodes, along with recent advances in developing resistance diagnostic tests and worm control strategies in horses, as well as giving some perspective on recent research into novel control strategies.

Since pigs are important in the zoonotic transmission of schistosomiasis japonica in China, a veterinary vaccine might contribute to the control of the disease in humans. Pigs were immunized with three doses each of 10000 cercariae of Schistosoma japonicum attenuated with ultraviolet light (400 μWatt·min/cm2). The experiment was performed with portable irradiation equipment in a rural area of the Hubei Province (P.R. China). A challenge infection of 1000 untreated cercariae was given 2·5 or 6 months after the last immunization, and age-matched naive pigs were challenged as a control. Immunized pigs developed about 90% resistance against the challenge. The liver egg load of these animals was reduced by over 90%. Less than 0·01 % of the immunizing cercariae developed to adult parasites and the vaccination had no apparent adverse influence on the pigs' health.

Studies on the nutrition and physiology of Trichomonas vaginalis have been hampered by the lack of a defined synthetic medium in which to grow the organism. New synthetic media free of ill-defined supplements and serum which support good growth of T. vaginalis have been developed in this study. The first successful approach to a defined medium resulted from the modification of the tissue-culture medium CMRL 1066. Essential modifications included (1) lowering the redox potential of the medium by adding high levels of ascorbate and (2) modifying the buffer system. Subsequently, CMRL 1066 was replaced by two new media DL7 and DL8 which have greater flexibility in their formulation and permit improved serum-free growth. Serum was replaced by bovine serum albumin and cholesterol, together with either a glyceryl fatty acid ester or a defined mixture of fatty acids. Preliminary nutritional studies using the new media have indicated a requirement for saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and a sterol.

During platyhelminth infection, a cocktail of proteins is released by the parasite to aid invasion, initiate feeding, facilitate adaptation and mediate modulation of the host immune response. Included amongst these proteins is the Venom Allergen-Like (VAL) family, part of the larger sperm coating protein/Tpx-1/Ag5/PR-1/Sc7 (SCP/TAPS) superfamily. To explore the significance of this protein family during Platyhelminthes development and host interactions, we systematically summarize all published proteomic, genomic and immunological investigations of the VAL protein family to date. By conducting new genomic and transcriptomic interrogations to identify over 200 VAL proteins (228) from species in all 4 traditional taxonomic classes (Trematoda, Cestoda, Monogenea and Turbellaria), we further expand our knowledge related to platyhelminth VAL diversity across the phylum. Subsequent phylogenetic and tertiary structural analyses reveal several class-specific VAL features, which likely indicate a range of roles mediated by this protein family. Our comprehensive analysis of platyhelminth VALs represents a unifying synopsis for understanding diversity within this protein family and a firm context in which to initiate future functional characterization of these enigmatic members.

The life-cycle of Plasmodium depends on transmission of the parasite from the vertebrate host into its vector when the insect takes a bloodmeal. Transmission success may depend in part on the parasite's gametocyte density and sex ratio in the blood. P. mexicanum, a parasite of fence lizards in California, USA, exploits the sandfly Lutzomyia vexator as its vector. In experimental transmissions using naturally infected lizards as donors of blood, transmission success (measured as percentage of vectors infected and number of parasite oocysts on the insect's midgut) was positively related to gametocyte density, although density above 20/1000 erythrocytes did not improve transmission. Sex ratio (proportion of microgametocytes in the infection) was positively correlated with gametocyte density. Transmission improved with higher proportion of microgametocytes, but partial correlations revealed that this was a result only of higher gametocyte densities. These results agree with the theory of virulence and sex ratios because single clone infections should produce a more female-biased sex ratio and grow to the minimum parasitaemia that would maximize clonal transmission, whereas multiple clone infections will be closer to a 1[ratio ]1 sex ratio and yield a higher parasitaemia when each clone competes for transmission to the vector.

Eimeria arizonensis, E. albigulae and E. onychomysis, morphologically similar species from closely related murid rodents, were distinguished using nuclear rDNA ITS1 sequences obtained from multiple isolates of each taxon. ITS1 sequences were also obtained from 6 other species parasitizing murid rodents: E. falciformis, E. langebarteli, E. nieschulzi, E. papillata, E. separata and E. sevilletensis, and from E. reedi, a parasite of heteromyid rodents. Under parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses, the isolates of E. arizonensis, E. albigulae and E. onychomysis were differentiated as closely related, monophyletic lineages. Maximum likelihood pairwise distances between the latter species ranged from 7 to 12%, and distances within each species ranged from <1 to 5%; thus it is suggested that ITS1 genetic distances may be used to facilitate taxonomic differentiation of Eimeria spp. Against expectation, phylogenetic procedures placed E. reedi within the phylogeny of the Eimeria of murid rodents. ITS1 sequencing appears to provide data that can be used for taxonomic and phylogenetic studies on the speciose genus Eimeria, and may be especially useful when samples contain insufficient numbers of oocysts for other molecular-based methods, e.g. RAPD–PCR.

A series of 2277 Leishmania strains from Old World visceral leishmaniasis foci, isolated between 1973 and 2008, were studied by isoenzyme analysis. The strains were obtained from humans, domestic and wild carnivores, rodents and phlebotomine sandflies, and came from 36 countries. In all, 60 different zymodemes were identified and clustered by a phenetic analysis into 3 different groups corresponding to the typically visceralizing species L. donovani (20 zymodemes, 169 strains), L. archibaldi (3 zymodemes, 46 strains) and L. infantum (37 zymodemes, 2,062 strains). The taxonomic position of these isoenzymatic groups is discussed in view of contradictory results obtained from recent molecular studies.

A population approach was employed to study the effects of a bopyrid isopod, Aporobopyrus muguensis, on the growth and reproduction of its anomuran host, Pachycheles rudis. Indirect evidence, provided by the size-specific prevalence pattern, and direct evidence, provided by laboratory moult frequencies and moult-stage data, indicated that the frequency of moulting was reduced among parasitized crabs. Moult increments of parasitized crabs were less than those of non-parasitized crabs. Although parasitized female P. rudis were able to reproduce, their fecundity was substantially reduced. Parasitized female hosts appeared to be delayed in their attainment of sexual maturity. Once mature, these crabs produced significantly smaller size-specific clutches than those produced by non-parasitized female crabs. Because fecundity increases with size in P. rudis, the slower growth rates of parasitized female hosts may further limit their fecundity. Potential mechanisms by which A. muguensis limits the growth and reproduction of P. rudis are discussed.

The technique of Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR has been used to detect DNA polymorphisms among Toxoplasma gondii strains. Seven arbitrary oligonucleotides (10-mer) were used as primers to amplify total genomic DNAs and significant genetic heterogeneity was detected among 11 T gondii strains with different virulence for mice. The polymorphisms observed allowed relationship dendrograms of T. gondii strains to be constructed by PHYLIP and PAUP analyses. The genetic relationships of the T. gondii strains generated by 2 analyses using completely different assumptions were similar. Both analyses revealed 2 groups of T. gondii strains, one formed by the 6 virulent strains and the other formed by the 5 avirulent strains. This suggests that the genus Toxoplasma may actually contain 2 groups, correlated with their virulence, which have probably evolved independently following their initial separation. Significant polymorphisms were also detected between 2 different laboratory stocks of the T. gondii RH strain.

The well-known pathogens of fasciolosis, Fasciola hepatica (Fh) and Fasciola Gigantica (Fg), possess abundant mature sperms in their seminal vesicles, and thus, they reproduce bisexually. On the other hand, aspermic Fasciola flukes reported from Asian countries, which have no sperm in their seminal vesicles, probably reproduce parthenogenetically. The aim of this study was to reveal the origin of aspermic Fasciola flukes. The nuclear single copy markers, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and DNA polymerase delta, were employed for analysis of Fasciola species from China. The hybrid origin of aspermic Fasciola flukes was strongly suggested by the presence of the Fh/Fg type, which includes DNA fragments of both F. hepatica and F. gigantica. China can be regarded as the cradle of the interspecific hybridization because F. hepatica and F. gigantica were detected in the northern and southern parts of China, respectively, and hybrids flukes were distributed between the habitats of the two species. The Chinese origin was supported by the fact that a larger number of mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) haplotypes was detected in Chinese aspermic Fasciola populations than in aspermic populations from the neighbouring countries. Hereafter, ‘aspermic’ Fasciola flukes should be termed as ‘hybrid’ Fasciola flukes.

Chloride regulation. Following the ingestion of a blood meal the tick excretes about half the ingested water in the coxal fluid. The mean haemolymph chloride concentration before feeding is 1.00% and after feeding 0.96% NaCl; and that of the coxal fluid, 0.80% NaCl. These results confirm the values given by Boné (1943).

Morphology of the coxal glands. These comprise the coxal glands proper, which elaborate the bulk of the coxal fluid, and the smaller accessory glands of unknown function. Each flask-shaped coxal gland consists of two distinct regions, an outer ‘filtration chamber’ and an inner system of tubules. The latter lead to the external opening. The filtration chamber, which communicates with the tubules at only one point, is highly folded into an elaborate series of pockets and fingers which closely invest the tubules; numerous small muscle fibres inserted in these pockets pass outwards from the gland to attachments on the body wall. The histology of the two regions is entirely different: the filtration membrane is only 1–2μ in thickness and its cellular origin is much obscured: the tubule walls are 5–30 μ in thickness, are composed of cells with a dense, deeply staining cytoplasm, and are richly supplied with tracheae. In Ornithodorus delanoei acinus the walls of the sac-like coxal glands are lined both by ‘filtration membrane’ and by large irregular groups of ‘secretory’ cells; there are no true tubules.

Function of the coxal glands. The production of coxal fluid is under muscular control. It is believed that the contraction of the coxal gland muscles enlarges the filtration chamber and sets up a sufficient pressure difference across the membrane to initiate filtration into the gland. In the subsequent passage of the fluid down the tubules threshold substances such as chloride are reabsorbed. That the coxal fluid is primarily an ultrafiltrate of the haemolymph is suggested by (a) the rapid passage of dyes and even haemoglobin into the coxal fluid after injection into the haemolymph and (b) the very high rate of liberation of fluid. Serum albumen sometimes passes into the coxal fluid after injection but casein (and the normal haemolymph proteins) are fully retained.

Transient changes in calcium (Ca2+) levels regulate a wide variety of cellular processes, and cells employ both intracellular and extracellular sources of Ca2+ for signalling. Praziquantel, the drug of choice against schistosomiasis, disrupts Ca2+ homeostasis in adult worms. This review will focus on voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, which regulate levels of intracellular Ca2+ by coupling membrane depolarization to entry of extracellular Ca2+. Ca2+ channels are members of the ion channel superfamily and represent essential components of neurons, muscles and other excitable cells. Ca2+ channels are membrane protein complexes in which the pore-forming α1 subunit is modulated by auxiliary subunits such as β and α2δ. Schistosomes express two Ca2+ channel β subunit subtypes: a conventional subtype similar to β subunits found in other vertebrates and invertebrates and a novel variant subtype with unusual structural and functional properties. The variant schistosome β subunit confers praziquantel sensitivity to an otherwise praziquantel-insensitive mammalian Ca2+ channel, implicating it as a mediator of praziquantel action.

The activity patterns and changes in shape of schistosomula recovered from various locations during migration, are described. There is no significant increase in length during the period which worms remain in the skin. Rhythmic cycles of extension and contraction of the worm body are established soon after penetration. Worms newly arrived at the lungs are identical with skin worms of the same age. Within the lungs their maximum length increases to four times that of skin worms, an adaptation which is believed to facilitate migration through the lumina of blood capillaries. Worms recovered from the lungs and systemic organs on, and subsequent to, day 8 post-infection retain this capacity for elongation. When worms arrive at the hepatic portal system they undergo a process of shortening and there is a transient doubling in the duration of cycles of activity. It is suggested that this shape and activity change terminates migration by preventing escape of worms from the hepatic portal system via the liver sinuses. The stimulus which triggers the response is thought to be the high nutrient levels present in hepatic portal blood, but not in peripheral blood. The stimulus which terminates migration also probably initiates growth. Worms cultured in vitro undergo some increase in length, but have a significantly lower maximum length than lung worms of a corresponding age. Although cultured worms were active, the cycles of extension and contraction were much more erratic than those of in vivo worms. The worms shortened spontaneously after 8–10 days in culture. This shortening occurred marginally later than in the most rapidly migrating worms in vivo.

Cyclospora cayetanensis, a coccidian parasite that causes protracted and relapsing gastroenteritis, has a short recorded history. At least 54 countries have documented C. cayetanensis infections and 13 of them have recorded cyclosporiasis outbreaks. Cyclospora cayetanensis infections are commonly reported in developing countries with low-socioeconomic levels or in endemic areas, although large outbreaks have also been documented in developed countries. The overall C. cayetanensis prevalence in humans worldwide is 3.55%. Among susceptible populations, the highest prevalence has been documented in immunocompetent individuals with diarrhea. Infections are markedly seasonal, occurring in the rainy season or summer. Cyclospora cayetanensis or Cyclospora-like organisms have also been detected in food, water, soil and some other animals. Detection methods based on oocyst morphology, staining and molecular testing have been developed. Treatment with trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (TMP–SMX) effectively cures C. cayetanensis infection, whereas ciprofloxacin is less effective than TMP–SMX, but is suitable for patients who cannot tolerate co-trimoxazole. Here, we review the biological characteristics, clinical features, epidemiology, detection methods and treatment of C. cayetanensis in humans, and assess some risk factors for infection with this pathogen.

1. A spring-rise in faecal strongyloid egg count is described in sheep housed under conditions designed to prevent reinfestation. Large rises were observed in the majority of 3-year-old breeding ewes and primiparous ewe-hoggs, and occasional small rises occurred in nulliparous ewe-hoggs and wether-hoggs.

2. Falls were observed in the packed red-cell volumes of ewes during the period of spring-rise and a close inverse correlation was found between packed-cell volumes and transformed worm egg counts. No evidence was obtained to attribute the falls in packed-cell volume to factors other than worm burden.

3. The fall in packed-cell volume was partially alleviated by feeding of one type of perennial rye-grass, but no direct effect of feeding on the worm-egg output was found.

4. Theories of spring-rise are discussed and the conclusion reached that latent overwintering larvae must play a major part generally in the phenomenon.

Neospora caninum is a leading cause of abortion in cattle, and is thus an important veterinary health problem of high economic significance. Vaccination has been considered a viable strategy to prevent bovine neosporosis. Different approaches have been investigated, and to date the most promising results have been achieved with live-attenuated vaccines. Subunit vaccines have also been studied, and most of them represented components that are functionally involved in (i) the physical interaction between the parasite and its host cell during invasion or (ii) tachyzoite-to-bradyzoite stage conversion. Drugs have been considered as an option to limit the effects of vertical transmission of N. caninum. Promising results with a small panel of compounds in small laboratory animal models indicate the potential value of a chemotherapeutical approach for the prevention of neosporosis in ruminants. For both, vaccines and drugs, the key for success in preventing vertical transmission lies in the application of bioactive compounds that limit parasite proliferation and dissemination, without endangering the developing fetus not only during an exogenous acute infection but also during recrudescence of a chronic infection. In this review, the current status of vaccine and drug development is presented and novel strategies against neosporosis are discussed.

Climate change, in particular rising temperature, is suspected to be a major driver for the emergence of many wildlife diseases. Proliferative kidney disease of salmonids, caused by the myxozoan Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae, was used to evaluate how temperature dependence of host–parasite interactions modulates disease emergence. Brown trout (Salmo trutta fario) kept at 12 and 15 °C, were experimentally infected with T. bryosalmonae. Parasite development in the fish host and release of spores were quantified simultaneously to unravel parasite transmission potential from the vertebrate to the invertebrate host. A change to a stable plateau in infection intensity of the kidney coincided with a threshold at which spore shedding commenced. This onset of parasite release was delayed at the low temperature in accordance with reaching this infection intensity threshold, but the amount of spores released was irrespective of temperature. The production of parasite transmission stages declined with time. In conclusion, elevated temperature modifies the parasite transmission opportunities by increasing the duration of transmission stage production, which may affect the spread and establishment of the parasite in a wider range of rivers.