<Emphasis Type=Italic>Unilatus unilatus</Emphasis> Mizelle &; Kritsky, 1967 (Monogenea,Ancyrocephalinae) in <Emphasis Type=Italic>Hypostomus</Emphasis> spp. (Siluriformes,Loricariidae) from the Chavantes reservoir,São Paulo State,Brazil

In this paper, the occurrence and new morphological data of Unilatus unilatus Mizelle et Kritsky, 1967 from the gills of Hypostomus strigaticeps (Regan, 1907), Hypostomus regani (Ihering, 1905), and Hypostomus iheringii (Regan, 1908) from the Chavantes reservoir, S?o Paulo State, Brazil are reported. Unilatus unilatus from this reservoir presents differences in relation to the holotype previously described such as, eggs with no bifid or trifid filament and a rounded termination, anterior bar slightly curved with a posterior projection, and posterior bar which may present three shapes. This is the first record of U. unilatus in southeastern Brazil outside the Amazon River Basin, with H. strigaticeps, H. regani and H. iheringii as new hosts.     

Ageing in nematodes: do antioxidants extend lifespan in <Emphasis Type=Italic>Caenorhabditis</Emphasis><Emphasis Type=Italic>elegans</Emphasis>?

Antioxidants are often investigated as a promising strategy for extending lifespan. Accordingly, there is significant interest in novel antioxidant compounds derived from natural sources such as plant extracts. However, because lifespan studies are laborious and expensive to conduct, candidate compounds are frequently selected based simply on their in vitro antioxidant efficacy, with the implicit assumption that in vitro antioxidants are also in vivo antioxidants, and that in vivo antioxidants will decrease functionally relevant oxidative damage and thereby extend lifespan. We investigated the validity of these assumptions in the model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans. Nematodes were exposed to 6 plant extracts, selected out of a total of 34 based on a simple in vitro antioxidant assay. We found no correlation between in vitro and in vivo antioxidant capacities. Antioxidant efficacies were also not predictive of lifespan benefits. Further studies into those extracts that produced significant lifespan extension indicated that a direct antioxidant effect is unlikely to be the main factor responsible for the modulation of nematode lifespan.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Paranaella luquei</Emphasis> (Monogenea: Microcotylidae), an ectoparasite from the gills of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Steindachnerina brevipinna</Emphasis>, in the tributaries Corvo and Guairacá, Paranapanema River,Paraná, Brazil

Paranaella luquei is a monogenean from family Microcotylidae, which was found parasitizing the gills of Steindachnerina brevipinna (Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889), collected in two different tributaries of Paranapanema River, Paraná, Brazil. This parasite was the first species of Microcotylidae described parasitizing freshwater fishes (Hypostomus sp., Hypostomus regani (Ihering) and Rhinelepis aspera Spix & Agassiz (Loricariidae) in the country.     

Is <Emphasis Type=Italic>Mycobacterium avium</Emphasis> subsp. <Emphasis Type=Italic>paratuberculosis</Emphasis>, the cause of Johne’s disease in animals,a good candidate for Crohn’s disease in man?

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) causes Johne’s disease or paratuberculosis, a gastro intestinal inflammatory condition in ruminants and other animals, which is similar to Crohn’s disease (CD) that occurs in man. The role of MAP in the causation of CD has been under intense investigation in the last few decades. This review summarizes the status of MAP in animals and the food chain and its association with CD in man.     

Fox tapeworm (<Emphasis Type=Italic>Echinococcus multilocularis</Emphasis>) in Slovakia — summarizing the long-term monitoring

Detailed epidemiological survey on distribution of fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis was carried out in the territory of Slovakia between 2000 and 2010. A total of 4 761 red foxes from all districts of Slovakia were investigated using modified sedimentation and counting method. E. multilocularis was found in small intestines of 1 441 animals that represent an overall prevalence of 30.3 %. The number of tapeworms found in individual foxes varied between 1 and 245 000 specimens with mean worm burden of 1 777. The results of decennial epizootological research confirmed the existence of highly endemic localities with E. multilocularis occurrence in northern regions of Slovakia. Till today, 16 human cases of alveolar echinococcosis were registered whereas 14 of them were diagnosed in patients living in endemic localities.     

First record of <Emphasis Type=Italic>Paratrophurus hungaricus</Emphasis> Andrássy, 1973 (Tylenchida,Telotylenchidae) from Slovakia

In soil of floodplain forests along the Danube and Moravia Rivers a rare nematode species Paratrophurus hungaricus Andrássy, 1973 was recorded for the first time from the territory of Slovakia. Presented here are some notes on morphology and ecology of the species observed.     

Is aging raw cattle urine efficient for sampling <Emphasis Type=Italic>Anopheles arabiensis</Emphasis>Patton?

Background  

To ensure sustainable routine surveillance of mosquito vectors, simple, effective and ethically acceptable tools are required. As a part of that, we evaluated the efficiency of resting boxes baited with fresh and aging cattle urine for indoor and outdoor sampling of An. arabiensis in the lower Moshi rice irrigation schemes.     

Longevity-modulating effects of symbiosis: insights from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis>–<Emphasis Type="Italic">Wolbachia</Emphasis> interaction

Microbial communities are known to significantly affect various fitness components and survival of their insect hosts, including Drosophila. The composition of symbiotic microbiota has been shown to change with the host’s aging. It is unclear whether these changes are caused by the aging process or, vice versa, they affect the host’s aging and longevity. Recent findings indicate that fitness and lifespan of Drosophila are affected by endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia. These effects, however, are inconsistent and have been reported both to extend and shorten longevity. The main molecular pathways underlying the lifespan-modulating effects of Wolbachia remain unclear, however insulin/insulin-like growth factor, immune deficiency, ecdysteroid synthesis and signaling and c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathways as well as heat shock protein synthesis and autophagy have been proposed to play a role. Here we revise the current evidence that elucidates the impact of Wolbachia endosymbionts on the aging processes in Drosophila.     

Structure of the cephalic end and eggs of female <Emphasis Type=Italic>Cithariniella khalili</Emphasis> Petter,Vassiliadès et Troncy, 1972 (Nematoda: Pharyngodonidae), a parasite of African fishes

Scanning electron microscopy was used to study the female surface morphological characteristics of the mouth opening (lips and such adjacent structures as amphids, papillae and chitinous ribbed flaps), caudal area (vulva, anus), and eggs with filaments on poles of the pharyngodonid species Cithariniella khalili Petter, Vassiliadès et Troncy, 1972, obtained from Synodontis frontosa Vaillant at Lake Turkana in north-western Kenya.     

A novel <Emphasis Type=Italic>WASP</Emphasis> gene mutation in a Chinese boy with Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome

Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X-linked recessive disorder characterized by thrombocytopenia, small platelets, eczema, increased susceptibility to infection, and immunodeficiency. Mutations of the Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) gene are responsible for this severe congenital disease. In this study, we report on a 2-year-old Chinese boy who presented with classic clinical WAS manifestations. By direct sequencing of cDNA and genomic DNA of the patient, we identified a novel mutation: the first nucleotide in exon 8 (G) had been deleted (769delG). This mutation results in two kinds of aberrant mRNA with abnormal splicing and causes frameshift and a stop codon at amino acid 260. Western blotting demonstrated a 28-kDa truncated WAS protein. A maternal study revealed that his mother had a heterozygous genotype, but showed normal WASP expression.     

Increasing Occurrence of Multidrug-Resistance in <Emphasis Type=Italic>Acinetobacter baumannii</Emphasis> Isolates From Four German University Hospitals, 2002–2006

Background:   

Acinetobacter baumannii can cause severeinfections, mainly in critically ill inpatients. Treatment iscomplicated by multidrug-resistance (MDR). In Germany, todate, little is known on the extent of MDR in A. baumanniiisolated from inpatients in German hospitals and potentialfactors influencing the emergence of MDR.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oochoristica koubeki</Emphasis> n. sp. (Cestoda,Anoplocephalidae) from African <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chamaeleo senegalensis</Emphasis> (Chamaeleonidae) and emendation of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oochoristica</Emphasis> Lühe, 1898

During a survey of species diversity and ecology of selected West African vertebrates in the Niokolo Koba National Park, Senegal, two Chamaeleo senegalensis Daudin, 1802 (Chamaeleonidae) were collected and examined for parasites. A new species, Oochoristica koubeki n. sp., anoplocephalidian cestode of the genus Oochoristica Lühe, 1898 is described from the intestine of this host. The new species is related to O. theileri Fuhrmann, 1924; O. theileri Fuhrmann, 1924 f. major Baer, 1933; O. celebensis Yamaguti, 1954 and O. rostellata Zschokke, 1905 var. agamicolla Dollfus, 1957. All the forenamed species share characteristic strobila with proglottids wider than long. Oochoristica koubeki n. sp. differs from these species in different proportions of scolex, cirrus sac, ovarium and vitellarium, further differences are in number of testes and presence of reinforced genital atrium. Only O. theileri shares two last mentioned features, however it differs in shape of testes (rounded) and in distribution of testes (two clusters). The new species differs from all other species in extremely high number of egg’s capsules, different host species and zoogeographic distribution. Emendation of genus diagnosis sensu Beveridge (1994) is provided.     

Does Cyclophosphamide Play a Protective Role Against Neuronal Loss in Chronic <Emphasis Type="Italic">T.</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic"> cruzi</Emphasis> Infection?

In this study, we verified the possible role of cyclophosphamide (CY) in protecting or not against neuronal losses in young and aged male Calomys callosus chronically infected with the MORC-1 strain of Trypanosoma cruzi through numerical quantification of neurons from the myenteric plexus of the colon and quantification of nitric-oxide concentration (NO) during the acute and chronic phase of infection. For this purpose, groups of young C. callosus were infected with the MORC-1 strain of T. cruzi. A group of infected animals received i.p. 0.2 mg/ml genuxal dissolved in distilled water treatment with CY. NO concentration in aged animals displayed reduced levels when compared to those found in young animals. No significant alterations in the number of neurons were observed in young animals, but for aged ones, a protective role of CY in reducing neuron loss was noted, in addition to enhancing the neuronal volume, area, and perimeter. These results suggest that CY administration, depending on the dose and time span, can act as a protective agent against neuronal losses.