Emended Description of Litomosoides molossi (Nematoda: Onchocercidae) and First Records of Litomosoides Species Parasitizing Argentinean Bats.

: During a long-term study on biodiversity of bats in the Yungas and Entre Ríos provinces, 1,304 specimens of bats included in the families Noctilionidae, Phyllostomidae, Vespertilionidae, and Molossidae were collected and checked for filarioids. Litomosoides molossi Esslinger, 1973 was recovered from the thoracic and abdominal cavities of Molossus molossus (prevalence [P] = 6.4%); Litomosoides chandleri Esslinger, 1973 from Artibeus planirostris (P = 6.9%), Sturnira oporaphilum (P = 66.6%), Sturnira erythromos (P = 23.8%), Sturnira lilium (P = 7.2%), and Eumops perotis (P = 50%); and Litomosoides saltensis n. sp. was collected from Eptesicus furinalis (P = 1.7%). In this paper, we emend the description of L. molossi; describe a new species, Litomosoides saltensis n. sp., on the basis of 1 female specimen; and report for the first time L. molossi and L. chandleri parasitizing Argentinean bats, expanding the host and locality records. Litomosoides molossi exhibits a slender buccal capsule, with an anterior segment transparent, and the posterior chitinous portion displays 2 thickenings in the first third; possesses 1 dorsal prominent cephalic papilla and 4 labial papillae distributed around the mouth; cuticle with lateral punctuations all along the hypodermic chords in both sexes; and male with area rugosa and tail without cloacal papillae. In L. chandleri, the lateral punctuations are distributed on the posterior extremity of the body in both sexes. Litomosoides saltensis n. sp. displays a thick buccal capsule with a posterior segment well cuticularized, possessing 2 thickenings in the anterior half; 4 labial and 2 ventral cephalic papillae; a globular vulva located anterior to the esophagus-intestine junction; cuticle with lateral punctuations in the posterior extremity of the body; and tail with salient phasmids. We also provide a taxonomic key for the identification of the Litomosoides sp. of bat dwelling. Long-term studies and large sample sizes are needed to detect the presence of Litomosoides sp. in bats, in contrast to the findings in cricetid rodents, which seem to be more frequently collected.

A new species of Biacantha (Nematoda: Molineidae), a parasite of the common vampire bat from the Yungas, Argentina.

A new species of Biacantha Wolfgang, 1954 (Nematoda: Molineidae), is described from the common vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus Geoffroy and St. Hilaire, 1810, from northwest Argentina. Biacantha normaliae n. sp. Oviedo, Ramallo, and Claps, is characterized by the disposition and number of ridges of the synlophe, the excretory pore located on a knob, 2 lateral processes on the tail of females, the male caudal bursa morphology, and lack of gubernaculum. This is the first species of nematode described in a vampire bat from Argentina.

Cognitive and psychiatric evaluation of 40 patients with myotonic dystrophy.

We evaluated 40 patients suffering from a severe form a myotonic dystrophy (MD) with neuropsychological (WAIS-R, MMSE) and psychiatric tests (SADS, SRT) for the assessment of cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. We tested 20 normal volunteers as control group. Patients with MD scored significantly, lower on WAIS Full Scale (p less than 0.001), Verbal Scale (p less than 0.001), and Performance Scale (p less than 0.001) and on the MMSE (p less than 0.05) than the controls. 35% of patients met the Research Diagnostic Criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis; 17.5% of them had a depressive disorder. The scores on SADS subscales and on the SRT scale of depression were also significantly higher in patients than in controls. Our data confirm that mental impairment and psychiatric disorders are important clinical manifestations of CNS dysfunction in the severe form on MD.

Intellectual impairment and cognitive evoked potentials in myotonic dystrophy.

Twenty-seven patients with myotonic dystrophy (MD) and 20 control subjects were tested using neuropsychological and electrophysiological measures. MD patients reported significantly lower scores on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Mini-Mental State Examination. P3 amplitude of auditory event-related potentials was significantly reduced in 14 patients. P3 latency was normal. In 13 patients, P3 was not elicited. Our results clearly show the presence of a significant impairment of cognitive functioning, as assessed by psychometric measures, in more than 50% of MD patients. Discriminant function correctly classified 92% of patients, using event-related potentials and neuropsychological variables.