In an earlier paper Goodey (1940) gave a detailed description of the morphology of three species of Anguillulina viz.: A. multicincta (Cobb) Goodey, A. erythrinae (Zimmermann) Goodey and A. robusta (de Man) Goodey. All three species are associated with plant roots: A. multicincta is a parasite of banana roots, A. erythrinae is parasitic on the roots of certain common grasses and cereals such as Agrostis stolonifera, Lolium perenne and oats (the writer has also found it on hop roots), A. robusta though associated with grass roots has not, to the writer's knowledge, been found within plant tissues. In the case of all three species phasmids were easily recognized on the female tails and were described and figured but they were not seen on the male tails and it was assumed that they were probably absent.

In 1988, 1989 and 1990 second year grazing heifers, naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes, were separated into two groups, one of which was treated orally with albendazole. In 1988 and 1989 treatment was administered immediately after parturition (February), and in 1990 during the last term of pregnancy (December). Both treated and control animals were grazed on separate plots in a rotational system. Maximum faecal egg counts were observed amund parturition, except in 1990, when treatment was given at the end of gestation. The main genera identified were Cooperia, Trichostrongylus, Ostertagia and Oesophagostomum. The number of Ostertagia larvae in the treated groups increased from 1989 to 1990, while the others decreased. Pasture contamination with third stage larvae (L3) was lower on the piots grazed by treated heifers. Maximum numbers of L3 were found in autumn, at the end of winter, and at the beginning of spring. Mean serum pepsinogen concentrations were significantly higher in the untreated groups. This concurs with the pattern for L3 on pasture. The trial shows that if a single treatment against gastrointestinal nematodes is carried out, and the animals remain on contaminated pastures, the parasitic load tends to level out after 4–5 months under favourable climatic conditions. However, the percentages of nematode genera occurring in the new populations may differ from those in the original infection.

Compressed organ autoradiography has been utilized to study the migration of the homogonic strain of Strongyloides ratti from the site of skin penetration to the gut. This transit is characterized by rapid disappearance of parasites from the cutaneous site of infection, followed by vascular dispersal throughout all organs investigated. For the first time, parasite migration in both naive and previously sensitized hosts is compared; the principal stations of migration are the same in the two groups although there is a quantitative difference in accumulation of parasites with time in these stations. Parasite attrition occurs in both groups of animals; however, in naive rats it is not manifest until day 20–25 post challenge, whereas in sensitized rats immune elimination occurs as early as 48 h post challenge.

Strongylus (Dicerocola) tremletti sp.nov. is described from the black rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis L. from Kenya.

The affinities of S. (D.) tremletti sp.nov. with the other species of the genus Strongylus Müller, 1780 are discussed and the subgenus Dicerocola subgen.nov. is erected to contain it.

The species of Strongylus in Kenya are noted and original drawings of S. (D.) asini Boulenger, 1920 are included.

A medium containing inorganic salts, vitamins and amino-acids is described for the in vitro cultivation of the amphistome, Orthocoelium scoliocoelium, from the rumen of buffalo. Based on the properties of rumen fluid, this medium promoted and sustained normal egg production, at 37°C temperature and pH 7·4 to 7·8 for 15 days. In contrast to other media used, no patho-physiological alterations except abnormal cytoplasmic lipid, were detected. Since the parasites produced normal eggs, it is concluded that this medium is suitable for short-term cultivation of the parasites.

ALTHOUGH some marsupials are insectivorous or carnivorous in diet many others are vegetarian in diet and frequently cause appreciable damage to pastures and crops and therefore are of considerable economic importance. Recently, during the course of searching the literature for references to helminth infections in marsupials it was observed that, in certain cases, hosts other than marsupials were involved and in some instances were of economic importance in that they were domesticated animals. Whether or not marsupials assist in the spread of parasitic infection is somewhat inadequately dealt with in the literature but one cannot lose sight of their acting as reservoir hosts.

In 1923, the writer in studying some species of the family Trichostrongylidæ, had occasion to create a new genus Graphidioides to receive the form previously known as Graphidium affine (Megnin, 1895), Railliet and Henry, 1909. This species differs from the type species of the genus Graphidium on the following points: absence of cervical papillæ, shape of bursa and disposition of ventro-ventral rays, shape of accessory piece and spicules, shape of the ovejectors and vagina and posterior extremity of the female. In an addendum on the remaining species of Graphidium, G. rudicaudatum the following statement was made:—

“Graphidium rudicaudatus R. & H., 1909, from Viscacia viscacia from Argentina resembles G. affinis very closely. It differs mainly by its smaller size, equal ovejectors, sharply pointed externo-dorsal ray and absence of an accessory piece. Its affinities to Graphidioides are so close, that the latter point requires re-investigation. The other points are only of specific value, and it is proposed to include it in this new genus. Should the absence of an accessory piece be confirmed, its position would require re-determination.”

A defined medium is described as a basis for in vitro culture work with larval Fasciola hepatica. This medium, termed BCM, can be quickly made up by using a system of stock solutions. BCM contains inorganic salts, glucose, amino acids, vitamins and antibiotics, but no lipid or proteins. Rediae can be dissected from infected snails for culture, but many appear to be contaminated with bacteria. Large rediae cannot survive in BCM but free immature cercariae can complete their final maturation in vitro. This final maturation, from the 30th to the 35th day after miracidial penetration of donor snails, includes tail growth and appearance of body pigmentation. Cercariae matured in vitro encyst successfully when transferred from BCM to water. Small rediae survive in BCM for 5 days, but show no growth or development measured as dry weight and total nitrogen.

Three new records are made, viz: Achillurbainia recondita Travassos, 1942; Metadelphis evandroi Travassos, 1944; Rhopalias coronatus (Rudolphi, 1819) Stiles and Hassall, 1898; all are recorded from the manicou, Didelphis marsupialis insularis (Allen) from Trinidad, British West Indies. Descriptions of all these species are given.

It has been, for some time, a recognised fact that intense eelworm infections are, in some instances, accompanied by only slight damage to the plants, while in other areas where the infection is much less intense, the plants show every symptom of “potato sickness” and the crop is a complete failure.

Stibocaptate (Astiban, Hoffman - La Roche) killed third stage larvae of Brugia pahangi in vitro at 50 p.p.m. but had no effect on microfilariae at 1 × 104 p.p.m. No larvae developed in infected mosquitoes fed 1% stibocaptate in 10% sucrose. It was neither micro-nor macrofilaricidal in neither jirds or cats but did affect embryogenesis.

1. Nematobothrium labeonis n. sp. from the orbit of three species of Labeo is described.

2. The more recent literature relating to the classification of the genus is considered.

3. N. labeonis is contrasted with related species.

Comparative histochemical studies of glycosidase activity were carried out in Clonorchis sinensis, Eurytrema pancreaticum, Fasciola hepatica, Dipylidium caninum, Hymenolepis nana, Ascaris suum, Toxocara canis, Ancylostoma caninum, Trichuris vulpis and Dirofilaria immitis. The enzymes examined were: N-Acetyl-α-Glucosaminidase (Ec 3.2.1.30), α-Glucuronidase (Ec 3.2.1.31) and α-Galactosidase (Ec 3.2.1.23). There were variations in enzyme distribution and intensity among the species and also between trematodes and nematodes; no marked positive reaction for these enzymes occurred in cestodes. In some trematodes, the caeca, especially in the brush border, and the tegument, subtegumental cells and testes, were reactive to the enzymes. In nematodes, although there was variation in reactions among species, N-acetyl-α-glucosaminidase and α-galactosidase were localized in the hypodermis and lateral cords excluding the excretory canal, and coelomocytes, intestinal epithelium and the walls of the reproductive systems.

The effects in vivo of 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg of luxabendazole (LBZ) on the tegument of Fasciola hepatica have been examined 48 h, 7 days and 14 days post-treatment of experimentally-infected rats. As early as 48 h post-treatment, the drug is shown to provoke significant damage to the tegument. The pathological phenomena characterizing LBZ damage are blebbing of the apical plasmalemma, formation of microvillus-like projections over the free surface, swelling of the basal infolds and stimulation of autophagy. The spines are often fractured; the tegument in the vicinity of spines seems more strongly altered than that in other foci. The basal layer is often changed, from increase of electron density to lack of integrity with the apical cytoplasm. The progress of the ultrastructural damage with time is not expressed. However, cytochemical data show that at longer post-treatment intervals the surface-coat structure becomes irregular and patches of ruthenium red positive material of variable thickness are focally accumulated. Only a slight dose-effect is noted 48 h after LBZ application when the alterations provoked by 5 mg/kg are less evident than those by 10 and 20 mg/kg.

The lungworm, Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, is a common parasite of the domestic cat in Great Britain and produces pulmonary lesions in that species which are occasionally severe. The disease may be reproduced experimentally either by the oral administration of third stage larvae which have been extracted from infected molluscs or by feeding the latter, themselves. For experimental purposes, the former procedure is preferred but the main disadvantage is that an infecting dose must be given on several occasions and over a period of days if sickness, with consequent loss of larvae, is to be avoided. Parenteral administration would, therefore, be advantageous. It is known that pulmonary infections have been produced in calves by the subcutaneous administration of larvae of Dictyocaulus viviparus (Wade and Swanson, 1958), in pigs by the intravenous and intratracheal injection of Metastrongylus spp. larvae (Kelley & Krous, 1961) and in sheep by the intravenous inoculation of Dictyocaulus filaria larvae (Michel and Sinclair, 1963). As neither intravenous nor intratracheal administration is particularly desirable in cats, it was resolved to attempt the reproduction of lungworm disease in that species by the subcutaneous injection of third stage larvae of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus.

1. Four worms were recovered from the subcutaneous connective tissue of a leopard. Of these two males and one female were identified as Filaria martis Gmelin, 1790 with the measurements given and a female described as a new species under the name Filaria russelli.

2. This finding is the first record of the genus Filaria Mueller, 1787 in a leopard.