Positive co-occurrence of flea infestation at a low biological cost in two rodent hosts in the Canary archipelago.

Non-random assemblages have been described as a common pattern of flea co-occurrence across mainland host species. However, to date, patterns of flea co-occurrence on islands are unknown. The present work investigates, on one hand, whether the decrease in the number of species on islands affects the pattern of flea co-occurrence, and on the other hand, how the cost of higher flea burdens affects host body mass. The study was carried out in the Canary Islands (Spain) using null models to analyse flea co-occurrence on Rattus rattus and Mus musculus. Results supported aggregation of flea species in Mus but not in Rattus, probably due to the relationship between abundance and both prevalence and intensity of infection of the main flea species parasitizing Mus. In addition, heavy individuals of both rodent species showed the highest flea burdens as well as higher species richness, probably due to the continued accumulation of fleas throughout life and/or immunological resistance mechanisms. Whatever the mechanisms involved, it is clear that co-occurrence and high parasite intensities do not imply a detrimental biological cost for the rodents of the Canary Islands.

Systematic relationships of Mosgovoyia Spasskii, 1951 (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) and related genera inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data.

The present study evaluates the phylogenetic position and systematic relationships of two species of Mosgovoyia Spasskii, 1951 and related genera (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) based on sequences of 28S ribosomal RNA and mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (Nad1) genes. Both molecular data-sets show that M. pectinata (Goeze, 1782) and Schizorchis caballeroi Rausch, 1960 are sister species and that they are phylogenetically independent from M. ctenoides (Railliet, 1890). This shows unambiguously that Mosgovoyia [sensu Beveridge (1978)] is a non-monophyletic assemblage, supporting the validity of Neoctenotaenia Tenora, 1976, erected for M. ctenoides. The results also show that the morphologically related Ctenotaenia marmotae (Fröhlich, 1802) is the sister species of Andrya rhopalocephala (Riehm, 1881) and therefore represents a more derived lineage. Modified diagnoses are provided for Mosgovoyia and Neoctenotaenia.

Helminth communities of the autochthonous mustelids Mustela lutreola and M. putorius and the introduced Mustela vison in south-western France.

This study presents the first comprehensive helminthological data on three sympatric riparian mustelids (the European mink Mustela lutreola, the polecat M. putorius and the American mink M. vison) in south-western France. One hundred and twenty-four specimens (45 M. lutreola, 37 M. putorius and 42 M. vison) from eight French departments were analysed. Globally, 15 helminth species were detected: Troglotrema acutum, Pseudamphistomum truncatum, Euryhelmis squamula, Euparyphium melis and Ascocotyle sp. (Trematoda), Taenia tenuicollis (Cestoda), Eucoleus aerophilus, Pearsonema plica, Aonchotheca putorii, Strongyloides mustelorum, Molineus patens, Crenosoma melesi, Filaroides martis and Skrjabingylus nasicola (Nematoda) and larval stages of Centrorhynchus species (Acanthocephala). The autochthonous European mink harboured the highest species richness (13 species) followed by the polecat with 11 species. The introduced American mink presented the most depauperate helminth community (nine species). The prevalence and worm burden of most of the helminths found in M. putorius and M. lutreola were also higher than those of M. vison. Some characteristics of their helminth communities were compared to relatively nearby populations (Spain) and other very distant populations (Belarus). This comparison emphasized M. patens as the most frequent parasite in all of the analysed mustelid populations. It was possible to conclude that the invasive M. vison contributes to the maintenance of the life cycle of the pathogenic T. acutum and S. nasicola helminths, with possible implications for the conservation of the endangered European mink.

Ultrastructure of spermiogenesis and the spermatozoon of Mesocestoides litteratus (Cestoda, Mesocestoididae).

This paper constitutes the first ultrastructural study of spermiogenesis and the spermatozoon of a cestode belonging to the family Mesocestoididae, Mesocestoides litteratus. Spermiogenesis in M. litteratus is characterised by a flagellar rotation and a proximodistal fusion. The zone of differentiation presents striated roots associated with the centrioles and also an intercentriolar body. The most interesting ultrastructural feature found in the mature spermatozoon of M. litteratus is the presence of parallel cortical microtubules. The spermatozoon also exhibits a single crest-like body and granules of glycogen. The pattern of spermiogenesis and the parallel position of cortical microtubules reveal the lack of concordance between M. litteratus and cyclophyllidean species studied to date in spermiogenesis and in the ultrastructural organisation of spermatozoon. This study provides new spermatological data and calls into question the validity of the current systematic position of mesocestoidids.

A survey for Cryptosporidium spp. in mammals at the Barcelona Zoo.

Mammals housed at the Barcelona Zoo belonging to the orders Carnivora, Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla and Proboscidea were examined for Cryptosporidium infections. A total of 183 fecal samples from 17 carnivores and 34 herbivores revealed patent infections in only 6 herbivore species (5 artiodactyls of the families Bovidae and Giraffidae and 1 perissodactyl of the family Rhinocerotidae); all carnivores were negative. Intensity of infection was found to be generally low. Connochaetes taurinus taurinus, Gazella dorcas neglecta, Kobus ellipsiprymmus and Giraffa camelopardalis constitute new host species for the parasite.

High activity of retinal N-acetyltransferase in the early development of the chick embryo: independence of lighting conditions.

In this paper, we studied the activities of N-acetyltransferase (NAT), hydroxyindole-O-methyltranferase (HIOMT) and melatonin content in the retina of chick embryo from the 7th day of embryonic age to hatching. Our results confirm that the dependence on lighting conditions of NAT activity and melatonin content appears to develop prior to hatching, as evidenced by differences observed when chick embryos were incubated under constant darkness or constant light. Moreover, we found high NAT activity during the first stages of the embryonic development up to 13th day of incubation. This activity, unlike late retinal NAT, is not coupled to melatonin production and is not dependent on lighting conditions.

Epizootiology of sarcoptic mange in a population of cantabrian chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) in northwestern Spain.

In May of 1993, an epizootic of sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) was detected in the chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) population of the Cantabrian Mountains in northwestern Spain. The epizootic initially spread across an area inhabited by some 1600 chamois. Mortality was lower than reported for other populations of ungulates. The maximum number of animals were affected from February to May. Four red deer (Cervus elaphus) and a roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), were diagnosed with sarcoptic mange from the same area in 1995. In these chamois mange was not correlated with host age or sex. The health and physiological status of this chamois population were not predisposing factors in the appearance of the mange epizootic. The clinical, epidemiological, serological, pathological and parasitological findings of this epizootic from May 1993 to June 1995 are described in this report.

Helminths of the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Macaronesia.

Two hundred and four rabbits from 8 Macaronesian islands (Pico, San Jorge, San Miguel, Terceira, and Flores from Azores Archipelago; Tenerife and Alegranza from Canary Islands; and Madeira from Madeira Archipelago) were examined for helminth parasites between 1995 and 2000. Three species of cestodes, Taenia pisiformis (larvae), Andrya cuniculi, and Mosgovoyia ctenoides, and 5 species of nematodes, Trichuris leporis, Graphidium strigosum, Trichostrongylus retortaeformis, Passalurus ambiguus, and Dermatoxys hispaniensis, were identified. Only 3 species (M. ctenoides, T. retortaeformis, and P. ambiguus) were regularly distributed over the 3 archipelagos. Taenia pisiformis was not collected in Madeira, nor was A. cuniculi in the Azores and G. strigosum in the Canary Islands. Trichuris leporis and D. hispaniensis were only found in Madeira. Significant differences in the general prevalence of the nematodes G. strigosum and T. retortaeformis were detected between Azores and Madeira. The prevalence of T. retortaeformis differs significantly between the Azores and the Canaries and that of P. ambiguus was higher in Madeira than in Azores and Canaries. The helminth richness found in the wild rabbit in these Macaronesian archipelagos was very low compared with the Palearctic helminth fauna of this host. The wild rabbit was introduced from the Iberian Peninsula into different Macaronesian islands. Helminths introduced with Oryctolagus cuniculus into these islands also are commonly found in Iberian wild rabbits, which are excellent colonizers, as demonstrated in this study.

Genetic and morphological heterogeneity in small rodent whipworms in southwestern Europe: characterization of Trichuris muris and description of Trichuris arvicolae n. sp. (Nematoda: Trichuridae).

Genetic and morphological variability of whipworms Trichuris Roederer, 1761 (Nematoda: Trichuridae), parasites of small rodents in southwestern Europe, was studied. Isozyme patterns of natural populations of nematodes parasitizing rodent species of the Muridae (Apodemus sylvaticus, Apodemus flavicollis, Mus musculus) and Arvicolidae (Clethrionomys glareolus, Microtus agrestis, Microtus arvalis) were analyzed at 6 putative loci. Two diagnostic loci were found in T. muris from Muridae and from Arvicolidae. Thus, the existence of 2 species of Trichuris restricted to different host families was indicated. They included Trichuris muris Schrank, 1788, originally described as being from mice, and Trichuris arvicolae n. sp., parasitizing the above species of Arvicolidae. The morphological variability of both species was compared. Although ranges of all morphological characters of the new species overlapped with those of T. muris, stepwise discriminant analysis yielded a 100% accurate classification of females when using vagina length and egg size. Males of T. muris and T. arvicolae cannot be separated entirely. A set of 6 variables yielded 95.7% discrimination; the most discriminating variables were spicule size and body width.

Redescription of Eucoleus schvalovoj (Nematoda: Capillariidae), an oesophageal parasite of the Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra, in Spain.

Eucoleus schvalovoj Kontrimavichus, 1963 (Nematoda: Capillariidae) is redescribed. The original description of this species was brief and inadequate in that it was based on just a few specimens removed from the Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Khabarovsk region, USSR. Detailed morphological study of several specimens of E. schvalovoj from the oesophagus of L. lutra from Spain revealed new characters, above all in males, and allows for a better characterisation of this species. Since its original description E. schvalovoj has only been recorded in Spain.

On Physaloptera sibirica Petrow et Gorbunow, 1931 (Nematoda: Physalopteridae) parasitizing Iberian mammals.

Faunistic and morphological study of Physaloptera sibirica PETROW et GORBUNOW, 1931 (Nematoda: Physalopteridae), a nematode isolated in Spain from three mammal species: red fox, Vulpes vulpes (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Carnivora: Canidae), eurasian badger, Meles meles (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Carnivora: Mustelidae), and garden dormouse, Eliomys quercinus (LINNAEUS, 1766) (Rodentia: Myoxidae) in the Iberian Peninsula. Morphological features of cephalic and caudal regions of males are presented for the first time by SEM (scanning electron microscopy).

Geography and host biogeography matter for understanding the phylogeography of a parasite.

The co-evolution between hosts and parasites has long been recognized as a fundamental driver of macro-evolutionary patterns of diversification. The effect of co-differentiation on parasite diversification is, however, often confounded by underlying geographic patterns of host distribution. In order to disentangle the confounding effects of allopatric versus host speciation, the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene was sequenced in seventy individuals of the parasitic nematode genus Heligmosomoides sampled in the six Apodemus mice species common in the western Palearctic region. The nuclear internal transcribed spacers (ITS) 1 and 2 were also sequenced in fifteen parasites to confirm the mitochondrial data. All lineages differentiated according to a geographic pattern and independently from the sampled host species. This suggests that host speciation did not involve concurrent parasite speciation. However, the geographic distribution range of some parasite lineages mirrors that of A. sylvaticus lineages in SW Europe, and that of A. flavicollis lineages in the Balkans and in the Middle East. Thus, regional co-differentiation likely occurred between the parasite and the two sister Apodemus hosts in different parts of their distribution range. We suggest that differences in regional abundances of A. sylvaticus and A. flavicollis are responsible for generating this pattern of regional co-differentiation. This study highlights the importance of integrating both geography and biogeographic information from potential hosts to better understand their parasite phylogeography.

Physiological responses of insular wild black rat (Rattus rattus) to natural infection by the digenean trematode Fasciola hepatica.

Wild black rat Rattus rattus is regularly infected by the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica on Corsica. This report constitutes the only example of a murid rodent that plays an important epidemiological role for the Fasciolosis. We investigated the influence of such unusual parasite infection on black rat physiology by measuring its oxygen consumption at different ambient temperatures. Black rat energy requirements are influenced by body mass, temperature of the experiment and parasite infestation. The influence of the presence of F. hepatica was more pronounced for cold temperatures. The mean increase of 56% in oxygen requirements for infected rats is extremely high, indeed unexpected, according to previous knowledge. These high physiological constraints may be explained by the recent confrontation of the digenean and the rodent.

Taenia spp.: 18S rDNA microsatellites for molecular systematic diagnosis.

The 18S rDNA gene of adult worms of Taenia parva found in Genetta genetta in the Iberian Peninsula and larval stages of T. pisiformis from the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Tenerife (Canary Islands) were amplified and sequenced. The sequences of the 18S rDNA gene of T. parva (1768 bp) and T. pisiformis (1760 bp) are reported for the first time (GenBank accession nos. AJ555167-AJ555168 and AJ555169-AJ555170, respectively). In 168 alignment positions microsatellites in the 18S rDNA of both taxa were detected for the first time (TGC in T. parva and TGCT in T. pisiformis) and differences in their sequences with different repetition numbers were observed. The use of nucleotide sequences of this gene in the resolution of systematic problems in cestodes is discussed with reference to the systematic status of Taenia spp. and mainly in human taeniids such as T. solium, T. saginata, and Asian human isolates of Taenia.

The helminth fauna of the barbary partridge Alectoris barbara in Tenerife, Canary Islands.

The helminth fauna of the barbary partridge (Alectoris barbara) in Tenerife Island (Canary Archipelago) was studied from 2001 to 2002, as there were no records of helminths from this host in the Canary Islands. Seven helminth species were identified: two cestodes Choanotaenia infundibulum and Lyruterina nigropunctata, and five nematodes Aonchotheca caudinflata, Baruscapillaria obsignata, Eucoleus annulatus, Ascaridia galli and Heterakis gallinarum. Lyruterina nigropunctata, A. galli and E. annulatus are recorded for first time in A. barbara. An analysis of available data on Alectoris spp. reveals the importance of intermediate hosts such as arthropods and earthworms in the diet of partridges. Terrestrial helminths are dominant species, with monoxenous and heteroxenous species being present in similar numbers in different Alectoris species along their geographical distribution. Helminth species found in Tenerife from A. barbara are poor indicators of the host colonization from North Africa because these helminths are species that are commonly found in fowl with a cosmopolitan distribution.

Helminth fauna of the Iberian lynx, Lynx pardinus.

Specimens of 12 helminth species were collected from carcasses of eight Lynx pardinus (Temminck, 1827), a carnivore endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. These species included: Brachylaima sp. (12.5%) (Trematoda); Taenia pisiformis (12.5%), T. polyacantha (25%), T. taeniaeformis (25%) and Mesocestoides litteratus (37.5%) (Cestoda); Eucoleus aerophilus (12.5%), Ancylostoma tubaeforme (12.5%), Toxocara cati (37.5%), Toxascaris leonina (62.5%), Vigisospirura potekhina potekhina (12.5%), Mastophorus muris (12.5%) and Physaloptera praeputialis (12.5%) (Nematoda). The helminth fauna in Iberian lynx is compared with that of L. canadensis and L. rufus in America, and for L. lynx in Eurasia. The potential relationships between the parasitological data and some geographical, historical and dietary factors are discussed.

Influence of host weight, sex and reproductive status on helminth parasites of the wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, in Navarra, Spain.

A study was carried out in Navarra (northern Spain) on the influence of the weight, sex and reproductive status (lactant, pregnant or lactant + pregnant females and testicular weight for males) of the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) on two cestodes species: Andrya cuniculi and Mosgovoyia ctenoides and four intestinal nematodes: Graphidium strigosum, Trichostrongylus retortaeformis, Nematodiroides zembrae and Dermatoxys hispaniensis. A significantly higher prevalence of A. cuniculi was detected in lactant + pregnant females compared with non-breeding females. Trichostrongylus retortaeformis and N. zembrae showed a significantly higher mean intensity in lactant and lactant + pregnant females than in non-reproductive females. Trichostrongylus retortaeformis presented a higher mean intensity in females than in males, and the mean intensity of the same parasite species was significantly lower in active and inactive males compared with lactant and lactant + pregnant females. There were no significant differences between sexes in the prevalence of helminth parasites. No significant correlation was detected between host weight and the intensity (of infection) of helminths studied. No significant differences in the prevalence and mean intensity of the two cestode species were observed in the three weight categories studied (kittens, juveniles and adults). The prevalence of G. strigosum and mean intensity of T. retortaeformis were significantly higher in older heavier animals than in juveniles.

Secnidazole vs. paromomycin: comparative antiprotozoan treatment in captive primates.

The antiprotozoan activity of secnidazole was studied in Cercocebus t. torquatus, Cercopithecus campbelli, Erythrocebus patas (Cercopithecidae), and Gorilla gorilla (Pongidae) compared with that of paromomycin in Cercocebus t. lunulatus (Cercopithecidae), E. patas, and G. gorilla (Pongidae) by coprological analysis. The antiprotozoan activity of both drugs depended on the parasite species and the host species. The drugs acted in a similar way on Entamoeba coli parasitising C. t. torquatus, and E. patas. This activity was different from that observed on I. buestchlii from the same host species. Nevertheless, E. coli parasitising cercopithecids and pongids responded to drugs differently.

Helminthfauna of Microtus (Microtus) cabrerae (Thomas, 1906) (Rodentia: Arvicolidae) in the Iberian peninsula: faunistic and ecological considerations.

Faunistic and ecological study of parasitic helminths of Microtus (Microtus) cabrerae (Thomas, 1906) (Rodentia: Arvicolidae) in the Iberian Peninsula. 70 specimens have been dissected, coming from 8 enclaves located in three Spanish provinces; 6 species of helminths have been detected (1 Digenetic Trematode, 4 Cestodes and 1 Nematode). Structure of helminthfauna of M. (M.) cabrerae in relation to remaining Iberian Arvicolids and the most conditioning ecological factors of the helminthfauna of the Rodent are analyzed.