Journal of Parasitology (J Parasitol)

Publications in this journal

• Article: A Case of Gynandromorphism in Hyalomma marginatum Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae)

  Keskin A, Bursali A, Tekin S
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  ABSTRACT: Gynandromorphism is a rare, abnormal phenomenon in which both female and male characteristics are simultaneously displayed in an organism. It has been described in several arthropod species, including ticks. This occurrence was described within several species of Amblyomma, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma, Ixodes, and Rhipicephalus. Bipartite protogynander is the most common type of gynandromorphism, while gynander intriqué is the rarest type among the ticks. In the present study, we reported the first case of a gynandromorph of Hyalomma marginatum Koch, 1844 collected from a naturally infested human during a tick survey in the Tokat province of Turkey in 2006. It is an interesting gynander intriqué with features of a protogynander. The gynander intriqué described here displays abnormal characters such as alloscutum with male consucutum in dorsal view, male and female spiracular plates, female genital aperture under the male genital flap, adanal plates located on the both side of the anus but accessory plates are on the left side only in ventral view.
  Journal of Parasitology 04/2012;
• Article: Helminth Community Composition, Structure, and Pattern in Six Dove Species (Columbiformes: Columbidae) of South Texas

  Autumn J. Smith
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  ABSTRACT: The helminth community composition and structure of 6 species of columbids residing in south Texas are reported and compared herein. Sixty individuals of the following species, rock pigeons (Columba livia [RP]), mourning doves (Zenaida macroura [MD]), Eurasian collared-doves (Streptopelia decaocto [ECD]), white-winged doves (Zenaida asiatica [WWD]), and common ground doves (Columbina passerina [CGD]), and 48 Inca doves (Columbina inca [ID]) were collected during the summer of 2006 and examined for helminths. Twelve helminth species were found (9 nematodes and 3 cestodes), representing 486 individuals. Nematodes numerically dominated the component community in all host species. Overall, helminth prevalence was similar among host sex within all dove species. However, prevalence of Skrjabinia bonini and Hymenolepis sp. in RPs was significantly different among host age groups (P  =  0.01, P  =  0.0002, respectively). Likewise, prevalence of Killigrewia delafondi was higher (P  =  0.0001) in adult WWDs. Based on percent similarity and Jaccard's coefficient of community indices, helminth component communities were dissimilar, and the number of shared helminth species varied among host species. Data from this study suggest that the environment surrounding preferred host habitat and foraging strategies of each host species is the driving force behind helminth component communities. This study emphasizes the importance of examining co-occurring hosts at both local and regional scales to elucidate helminth community structure and patterns.
  Journal of Parasitology 02/2012;
• Article: Characterization of a new Myxozoan species (Myxozoa: Myxobolidae: Myxosporea) in largescale stonerollers (Campostoma oligolepis) from the Mobile River Basin

  D. D. Iwanowicz, L. R. Iwanowicz, E. W. Howerth, W. B. Schill, V. S. Blazer, R. J. Johnson
  Journal of Parasitology 01/2012;
• Article: Systematics of Mexiconema cichlasomae (Nematoda: Daniconematidae) Based on Sequences of SSU rDNA

  H. H. Mejia-Madrid
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  ABSTRACT: The molecular characterization of the daniconematid dracunculoid Mexiconema cichlasomae Moravec, Vidal, and Salgado-Maldonado, 1992 through the sequencing of SSU rDNA from adult individuals is presented herein. Additionally, preliminary genetic relationships of this nematode are inferred from alignment of sequences generated previously for other dracunculoids. Maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses recovered identical trees. As anticipated by previous taxonomic work, M. cichlasomae is putatively closely related to skrjabillanid dracunculoids represented by Molnaria intestinalis (Dogiel and Bychovsky, 1934) and Skrjabillanus scardinii Molnár, 1966 SSU rDNA sequences, but the relationships of this newly discovered clade to other dracunculoid clades remain unresolved.
  Journal of Parasitology 02/2011;
• Article: John H. Cross

  K. Darwin Murrell, Larry Ash, Phil Coyne
  Journal of Parasitology 02/2011;
• Article: Anti–Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies in Cattle and Pigs in a Highly Endemic Area for Human Toxoplasmosis in Brazil

  Edwards Frazão-Teixeira
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  ABSTRACT: Sera from 77 cattle and 61 pigs from herds of Campos dos Goytacazes and neighborhood, north of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, were analyzed for the presence of antibodies anti–Toxoplasma gondii via ELISA. The seropositivity was confirmed at 49.4% (38 of 77) for cattle and at 11.5% (7 of 61) for pigs. Pigs bred under free-ranging systems presented with 20.6% (7 of 34) seropositivity and no pigs bred under indoor systems were positive (n  =  27). The seropositivity verified for cattle and pigs confirmed the extensive distribution of the parasite in this region. In the face of these data, we discuss the potential risk for human infection by consumption of raw or undercooked meat in this geographic region of Brazil. This is the first report of seropositivity for anti–T. gondii antibodies in cattle in the north of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.
  Journal of Parasitology 02/2011;
• Article: Description of a New Species of Myxozoan from Notropis hudsonius in the Great Lakes Region of Canada

  David Cone
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  ABSTRACT: Myxobolus burti n. sp. is described from striated muscle of Notropis hudsonius (Cyprinidae) collected from localities in Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake St. Claire, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River. Myxobolus burti is intracellular, forming thin-walled, cigar-shaped plasmodia within striated muscle cells of the body. It exhibits disporoblastic, oval spores, approximately 10 µm long, 8 µm wide, and 6 µm thick, with a length-to-width ratio of 1.31. They resemble most closely those of Myxobolus bellus Kudo, 1934, and Myxobolus mutabilis Kudo, 1934, but have polar capsules unequal in length (5.3 vs. 4.7 µm) and oblique filament coils. The new parasite was not encountered in routine examination of other small-bodied fishes at collection locations and thus looks to be specific to N. hudsonius. A comparative plate of similar species encountered during surveys of these fishes in the northeast is presented to contrast the uniqueness of the new species.
  Journal of Parasitology 12/2010;
• Article: Steve J. Upton

  Donald W. Duszynski
  Journal of Parasitology 12/2010;
• Article: DISCREPANCIES IN THE OCCURRENCE OF BALANTIDIUM COLI BETWEEN WILD AND CAPTIVE AFRICAN GREAT APES

  Pomajbikova, K (Pomajbikova, Katerina, Petrzelkova, KJ (Petrzelkova, Klara J, Profousova, I (Profousova, Ilona, Modry, D (Modry, David
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  ABSTRACT: Balantidium coli is a ciliate reported in many mammalian species, including African great apes. In the former, asymptomatic infections as well as clinical balantidiasis have been reported in captivity. We carried out a cross-sectional study of B. coli in African great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, and both species of gorillas) and examined 1,161 fecal samples from 28 captive facilities in Europe, plus 2 sanctuaries and 11 wild sites in Africa. Samples were analyzed with the use of Sheather's flotation and merthiolate iodine formaldehyde (MIFC) sedimentation. MIFC sedimentation was the more sensitive technique for diagnostics of B. coli in apes. Although not detected in any wild-ape populations, B. coli was diagnosed in 52.6% of captive individuals. Surprisingly, in the apes' feces, trophozoites of B. coli were commonly detected, in contrast with other animals, e.g., Old World monkeys, pigs, etc. Most likely reservoirs for B. coli in captive apes include synantropic rats. High starch diets in captive apes are likely to exacerbate the occurrence of balantidiasis in captive apes.
  Journal of Parasitology 01/2010; 96:1139-1144.
• Article: In Memoriam: Mark Dmitrievich Sonin, 1932-2010

  K. V. Galaktionov, A.Y. Ryss, O.N. Pugachev, A.N. Pelgunov, V L. Kontrimavichus, Eric P. Hoberg
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  ABSTRACT: In memoriam for Mark Dmitrievich Sonin, parasitologist at the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1932-2010.
  Journal of Parasitology 01/2010; 96:836–837.
• Article: Minutes of the Ninety-ninth Annual ASP Council Meeting.

  John Janovy Jr
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  ABSTRACT: Minutes of the 2009 ASP Council Meeting held at the Crowne Plaza in Knoxville, Tennessee.
  Journal of Parasitology 09/2009;
• Article: Minutes of the Eighty-Fourth Annual ASP Business Meeting.

  John Janovy Jr
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  ABSTRACT: Minutes of the 2009 Annual ASP Business Meeting held at the Crowne Plaza in Knoxville, Tennessee.
  Journal of Parasitology 09/2009;
• Article: Obituary PC Fang.

  John H Cross
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  ABSTRACT: none.
  Journal of Parasitology 08/2009;
• Article: In Memoriam: Gerry A. Schad.

  K Darwin Murrell, John M Hawdon
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  ABSTRACT: none.
  Journal of Parasitology 06/2009;
• Article: Morphology of larvae of Gordius dimorphus (Gordiida:Nematomorpha).

  Natalia Costa Marchiori, Joaber Pereira Jr, Luís Antônio Suita Castro
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  ABSTRACT: Scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze superficial features of Gordius dimorphus Poinar, 1991 larvae that might serve as generic or specific diagnostic characters. Three adults of G. dimorphus (two males and one female) were maintained under laboratory conditions until spontaneous oviposition, which occurred as described as characteristic to the genus. Larvae have a cylindrical body, superficially segmented and divided into two sections, an anterior preseptum and a posterior postseptum. Three concentric rings with six spines each surround the proboscis. The proboscis is retractile, dorsoventrally flattened, with one pair of forceps-like projections on its distalmost portion. On the surface of each projection three pairs of aculeated spines are aligned and leaning towards the proboscis opening. One big spine is found on the posterior portion of the postseptum. Papillae were not observed. Gordius dimorphus larvae are similar to previous light microscopic descriptions of gordian larvae. The absence of papillae on the proboscis of G. dimorphus, as well as the number of spines on the posterior section of the larvae, might be characters to differentiate the genera. This is the first record of G. dimorphus in Brazil.
  Journal of Parasitology 06/2009;
• Article: Gnathia aureamaculosa n. sp. (Crustacea: Isopoda: Gnathiidae) parasitizing teleosts from Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

  Maryke Louise Ferreira, Nicholas Jacobus Smit, Alexandra S Grutter, Angela Davies
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  ABSTRACT: During March 2002 and November 2005, teleost fishes were collected at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia. Gnathiid isopod juveniles were allowed to detach from these host fishes and maintained in fresh seawater until they molted into adults. Adult males emerged 5 days post-detachment (d.p.d.) and females 10 d.p.d. of juveniles from host fish. The adults and juveniles were identified as new to science and described as Gnathia aureamaculosa n. sp. The species description is based on brightfield and scanning electron microscopy observations primarily of males, since the taxonomy of gnathiids is based on male morphology. This species has been widely employed in various studies on the Great Barrier Reef, from its involvement in feeding patterns in reef fish, to its role in transmitting blood parasites and has been referred to as Gnathia sp. A. Distinctive features of the male include gold-spotted pigmentation on the dorsal pereon of live specimens, a cephalosome with a conical superior fronto-lateral process, an inferior and conical medio-frontal process, and mandibles each with an armed carina and an internal lobe. The female is characterised by its broad, rounded shape and cephalosome setae. The mandible of the third stage juvenile has 2 small teeth on the tip and 7 large teeth on the mesial margin. Differential pigmentation occurs in live male and female third stage juveniles; females have greenish-yellow spots distributed over the pereon and males, white blotches and light brown and yellow spots on the pereon.
  Journal of Parasitology 05/2009;
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  Available from: unl.edu

  Article: Why museums matter: a tale of pinworms (Oxyuroidea: Heteroxynematidae) among pikas (Ochotona princeps and O. collaris) in the American west.

  E P Hoberg, P A Pilitt, K E Galbreath
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  ABSTRACT: Permanent and well-supported museum or natural history collections provide a solid foundation for the process of systematics research through creation of an empirical record which validates our understanding of the biosphere. We explore the role of museums in ongoing studies of the complex helminth fauna characteristic of pikas (Ochotona spp.) in the American west. These studies address the taxonomy for pinworms of the Labiostomatinae and the problems associated with the absence of adequate type series and vouchers and with misidentifications in original descriptions. We demonstrate that the types for Labiostomum (Labiostomum) coloradensis are identical to some specimens in the syntype series representing L. (Eugenuris) utahensis, although the published descriptions are in disagreement. Both are identical to L. (Eugenuris) talkeetnaeuris and, as a consequence, are reduced as junior synonyms. Only 2 species of large pinworms, namely L. (Labiostomum) rauschi and L. (Eugenuris) talkeetnaeuris, are widely distributed in Ochotona collaris and O. princeps. Although this serves to clarify the taxonomy for species in these genera, prior records remain confused, as representative voucher specimens from all major surveys in North America were never submitted to museum collections. We strongly suggest that type and voucher series should not be held in private or personal collections, where such are eventually lost, discarded, or destroyed through neglect due to inattention and the absence of curation. The potential to accumulate meaningful baselines for assessment of environmental change is jeopardized if materials from survey and inventory are not routinely submitted to museum collections. The capacity of museum repositories, as a focus for systematics, ecology, and evolutionary studies and for the development of resources for biodiversity informatics, continues to be undervalued and poorly utilized by a cadre of scientists who are dependant on accurate and definitive information that transcends specific disciplines.
  Journal of Parasitology 05/2009; 95(2):490-501.
• Article: AZITHROMYCIN REDUCES OCULAR INFECTION DURING CONGENITAL TRANSMISSION OF TOXOPLASMOSIS IN THE Calomys Callosus MODEL.

  Carla Duque Lopes, Neide Maria Silva, Eloisa Amalia Ferro, Richard A Sousa, Marise L Firmino, Emerson S Bernardes, Maria C Roque-Barreira, Janethe Deolina Pena
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  ABSTRACT: Toxoplasma gondii is a widely distributed obligatory intracellular parasite that causes severe disease to the fetus when transmitted during pregnancy. Drugs used to avoid congenital transmission have shown side effects and their efficacy is controversial. The most widely used drug for the treatment of acute toxoplasmosis during pregnancy is the association between pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine, which has several side effects. In this work we tested the efficacy of azithromycin in reducing congenital transmission of Toxoplasma in the rodent Calomys callosus. Females of C. callosus were inoculated perorally with 20 cysts of ME49 strain of T. gondii on the day of fertilization and fetuses were collected from the 15th to the 19th day of gestation. Azithromycin (300mg/kg) or association with pyrimethamine (100 or 50 mg/Kg) and sulfadiazine (100 or 75mg/kg) and folinic acid (15mg/kg) (SPAf) or vehicle was administered orally in different days after infection. Brain and ocular tissues were removed and processed for immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal antibody against T. gondii, or processed for parasite DNA quantification. Toxoplasma gondii was detected in the brains of all females and fetuses' eyes when treated with SPAf. On the other hand, in females treated with azithromycin, there was a reduction of T. gondii in the brains of mothers and no parasites were detected in eyes of fetuses, indicating that azithromycin may represent an alternative treatment for toxoplasmosis during pregnancy.
  Journal of Parasitology 04/2009;
• Article: IN VITRO INTRACELLULAR SURVIVAL OF PERKINSUS MARINUS TROPHOZOITES UPON PHAGOCYTOSIS BY OYSTER (CRASSOSTREA VIRGINICA AND CRASSOSTREA ARIAKENSIS) HEMOCYTES.

  Mohammad R Alavi, José Antonio Fernández-Robledo, Gerardo R Vasta
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  ABSTRACT: Perkinsus marinus is a facultative intracellular parasite that causes "Dermo" disease in the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. Although hemocytes from healthy oysters rapidly phagocytose P. marinus trophozoites, they fail to efficiently kill them. Instead, trophozoites survive and proliferate, eventually overwhelming the host. Because in Chesapeake Bay oyster populations have been reduced to unprecedented levels, the introduction of the Suminoe oyster, Crassostrea ariakensis, has recently been proposed. Although this species is refractory to developing Dermo disease, it can be infected by Perkinsus spp. and thus, the mechanistic basis of its disease resistance remains intriguing. To examine whether resistance to develop Dermo is due to a high capacity of C. ariakensis hemocytes to kill phagocytosed P. marinus, we developed an in vitro assay to comparatively assess intracellular survival and proliferation of P. marinus in C. virginica and C. ariakensis hemocytes. Our results revealed that P. marinus cultured trophozoites have a similar capacity for in vitro survival within hemocytes from both oyster species, suggesting that the resistance of C. ariakensis to develop Dermo disease is probably due to other causes, probably reduced parasite pathogenicity rather than infectivity. Together with the currently available P. marinus genome and EST sequences and transfection methodology, this assay should significantly contribute to rigorously identify P. marinus genes responsible for its intrahemocytic survival.
  Journal of Parasitology 04/2009;