The helminth fauna of the serotine bat Eptesicus serotinus (Chiroptera; Vespertilionidae) in Southern Belarus.

The serotine bat Eptesicus serotinus (Schreber, 1774) as one of chiropteran species can fly, migrate and, being infected with helminths, spread these parasitic worms in their habitat. The aim of the current study was to summarize the results of own helminthological investigation of serotine bats living in Southern Belarus also establish helminth species and infection of these chiropterans. The helminthological examination of 28 serotine bat carcasses was carried out in Southern Belarus during 1996­2015. All animals were infected. The serotine bats were hosts for 12 species of helminths: six trematode species, two cestode species and four nematode species. The cestode Vampirolepis skrjabinariana (Skarbilovich, 1946) was the most frequently detected parasites. The trematode Plagiorchis muelleri Tkach et Sharpilo, 1990 has been found in Belarus for the first time. This helminth registered in Belorussian population of serotine bats as Plagiorchis sp. The cestode Milina grisea Beneden, 1873 appears as Myotolepis crimensis (Skarbilovich, 1946) and Myotolepis sp. in Belarus. All species of helminths are ordinary parasites of bats. One helminth species ((Plagiorchis vespertilionis (Müller, 1780)) have medical significance. Three nematode species ((Ascarops strongylina (Rudolphi, 1819), Physocephalus sexalatus (Molin, 1860) and Physaloptera myotis (Babos, 1954)) parasitize serotine bats on larval stage and two of them (A. strongylina and P. sexalatus) have important for veterinary science.

Ultrastructure of the spermatozoon of the trematode Notocotylus noyeri (Digenea: Notocotylidae), a parasite of Microtus arvalis (Rodentia: Cricetidae).

In the present paper, we describe the ultrastructure of the spermatozoon of the notocotylid Notocotylus noyeri (Joyeux, 1922) by means of transmission electron microscopy. The mature spermatozoon of N. noyeri exhibits the general pattern described in the majority of digeneans: two axonemes of the 9 + "1" pattern of the Trepaxonemata, nucleus, mitochondria, parallel cortical microtubules, spine-like bodies and ornamentation of the plasma membrane. The glycogenic nature of the electron-dense granules was evidenced applying the test of Thiéry. The ultrastructural features of the spermatozoon of N. noyeri present some differences in relation to those of the Pronocephalidea described until now, but confirm a general pattern for the Notocotylidae, namely a spermatozoon with two mitochondria and an anterior region with ornamentation of the plasma membrane associated with spine-like bodies. The posterior extremity of the spermatozoon exhibits only some microtubules after the disorganisation of the second axoneme. The present study confirms that some ultrastructural characters of the sperm cell such as the presence or absence of lateral expansions, the number of mitochondria and the morphology of both anterior and posterior spermatozoon extremities are useful for phylogenetic purposes within the Pronocephaloidea. Thus, unlike notocotylids, pronocephalids exhibit external ornamentation and a lateral expansion in the anterior spermatozoon region. Moreover, notocotylid spermatozoa present two mitochondria, whereas pronocephalid spermatozoa exhibit a single mitochondrion. Finally, pronocephalids are characterised by a type 2 posterior spermatozoon extremity, whereas notocotylids exhibit a type 3 posterior spermatozoon extremity.

Spermatological characteristics of Pleurogenidae (Digenea) inferred from the ultrastructural study of Pleurogenes claviger, Pleurogenoides medians and Prosotocus confusus.

The present work constitutes the first ultrastructural analysis of the spermatozoon in the Pleurogenidae, with the study of three species belonging to three of the 16 genera included in this family, namely Pleurogenes claviger, Pleurogenoides medians and Prosotocus confusus. The mature spermatozoa of these pleurogenids present two axonemes of the 9+"1" trepaxonematan pattern, a nucleus, two mitochondria, two bundles of parallel cortical microtubules, external ornamentation, spine-like bodies and granules of glycogen. The organization of these characters in the sperm cell is similar in the three species. Thus, the anterior spermatozoon extremity is filiform and a continuous and submembranous layer of parallel cortical microtubules surrounds the axonemes at their anterior end. The posterior spermatozoon extremity exhibits the second axoneme and corresponds to the Cryptogonimidean type of Quilichini et al. (2010). Slight differences were noted between the spermatozoon of P. confusus and those of the two remaining species in the location of mitochondria.

Spermatological characters of the digenean Rubenstrema exasperatum (Rudolphi, 1819) (Plagiorchioidea, Omphalometridae).

We present the first ultrastructural description of spermiogenesis and of the spermatozoon of Rubenstrema exasperatum (Omphalometridae), an intestinal parasite of Sorex araneus (Soricidae). Spermiogenesis begins with the formation of the differentiation zone delimited at the base by the ring of the arched membranes and bordered by cortical microtubules. This area contains two centrioles associated with striated rootlets and with an intercentriolar body. It also contains the nucleus and numerous mitochondria. The intercentriolar body is made up of seven electron-dense layers. The two centrioles give rise to two free flagella that grow orthogonally to the median cytoplasmic process. Additionally, flagellar rotation is followed by the proximodistal fusion of the flagella with the median cytoplasmic process, while the nucleus and mitochondria migrate along the spermatid. The constriction of the ring of arched membranes gives rise to the young spermatozoon. The mature spermatozoon of R. exasperatum shows several ultrastructural characters found in digenean spermatozoa such as two axonemes, mitochondrion, two bundles of parallel cortical microtubules, nucleus, and granules of glycogen. External ornamentation of the plasma membrane and spinelike bodies are also present in the spermatozoon of this species. In the present study, we produced additional spermatological data concerning a previously unexplored family, and we also compare our data to the existent ultrastructural descriptions within the Digenea in order to assess the use of several characters proposed as phylogenetic tools.

[The helminth fauna of indigenous white storks (Ciconia ciconia)]. / Die Helminthenfauna einheimischer Weissstörche (Ciconia ciconia).

120 carcasses of white storks originating from the federal countries Saxonia-Anhalt and Brandenburg where examined between 1994 and 2000 for internal parasites. The established parasite spectrum consisted of 8 trematode (Tylodelphis excavata, Chaunocephalus ferox, Cathemasia hians, Echinostoma revolutum, Echinoparyphium sp., Monilifer spinulosus, Ignavia ciconiae and Brachylaimus sp.), 4 cestode (Anomotaenia discoidea and 3 Hymenolepidae species) and at least 3 nematode species (Capillaria spp., Syngamus palustris and Contracaecum microcephalum). 5 of the helminths are considered to be stork specific. Considering host age groups the highest percentage of infected birds was found in adults.