<Emphasis Type="Italic">Aphelenchus avenae</Emphasis> (Nematoda: Aphelenchidae) under the rhizosphere of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica napus</Emphasis>

Soil samples under the rhizosphere of Brasicca napus were collected from three localities (Bílé Podolí, Prague, Kylešovice). All three localities were positive for the presence of Aphelenchus avenae. Morphological and molecular features of A. avenae are presented in this research note.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Echinococcus multilocularis</Emphasis> is a frequent parasite of red foxes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vulpes vulpes</Emphasis>) in Latvia

Summary  45 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from various regions of Latvia were examined by necropsy between 2003 and 2008 for the presence and infection intensity of Echinococcus multilocularis. The overall prevalence was 35.6 %, with the intensity of infection ranging from 1 to 1438. Although a limited number of foxes were examined, the prevalence was high and infected animals were found throughout the country. Considering the increasing number of humans infected with echinococcosis in Latvia since 2002, the situation is highly suggestive of a recent emergence of E. multilocularis. DNA sequences of four fox isolates were examined by multilocus analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear genes (cox1, nad1, rrnS, atp6, actII). All isolates were allocated to the predominant genetic form in Europe, with partial affinity of one isolate to a genotype that had previously been reported from southern Germany.     

Occurence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Echinococcus multilocularis</Emphasis> in red foxes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vulpes vulpes</Emphasis>) in southern Poland

Summary The prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in 214 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in the southern part of Poland (Małopolskie voivodship) was evaluated post mortem in 2005. Infected foxes were found in 8 districts within 17 examined, with the prevalence from 10.0 % to 63.9 % (a mean 20.1 % in the whole study area). The highest prevalence (41.2 % and 63.9 %) was revealed in two districts, in the south and the east of the province, respectively. The high prevalence of E. multilocularis in red foxes in the region previously recognised as that of low parasite endemicity provides evidence for the need of regular screening of the current epidemiological situation in foxes as well as the monitoring of humans from risk groups for early recognition of possible AE cases.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Aphanocladium album</Emphasis> by via sub-irrigation in the control of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pyrenochaeta lycopersici</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Meloidogyne incognita</Emphasis> on tomato in a plastic-house

Summary  Two experiments were carried out to assess the efficacy of different chemicals (azoxystrobin, fosthiazate, metham-sodium) and of the chitinolytic fungus Aphanocladium album (isolate MX-95), that could be alternatives to methyl bromide, against the soil borne pathogen Pyrenochaeta lycopersici and the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita on tomato in a plastic house in southern Italy. In the first trial, the treatments were azoxystrobin (1.25 l a.i. /ha), fosthiazate (1.5 l a.i. /ha) and biological control agent Aphanocladium album isolate MX-95 (2.5 l/plot at 2×10⁷ CFU/ml; plot surface 96 m²). In the second experiment, treatments were metham-sodium (1000 l c.p./ha) and A. album (5 l/plot at 1×10⁷ CFU/ml). In both trials, chemicals and the fungus were applied by via sub-irrigation. Satisfactory control of the corky root and the root-knot nematode attack and a significant yield increase were obtained by application of azoxystrobin, fosthiazate and metham-sodium. A significant reduction of M. incognita soil population density occurred in plots treated with A. album. Also, high positive correlations were found between the symptoms caused on tomato roots by M. incognita and P. lycopersici.     

First evidence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paraheligmonina gracilis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hymenolepis sulcata</Emphasis> among fat dormice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Glis glis</Emphasis> L.) from Croatia

Summary The present study reports for the first time on the helminth species occurring in the gastro-intestinal system of fat dormice (Glis glis) in Croatia. Out of 55 dormice, 63.7 % harboured helminths belonging to two species, the nematode Paraheligmonina gracilis (syn. Longistriata elpatievskii) (Heligmonellidae, Trichostrogyloidea) in the prevalence of 52.7 %, and the cestode Hymenolepis sulcata (Hymenolepididae, Cyclophyllidea) in the prevalence of 32.7 %. Concurrent infections of both parasites were found in 12 fat dormice, P. gracilis alone was detected in 17 hosts and H. sulcata alone in 6 samples. No influence of parasitic infestation on animal weight was observed. Glirid helminths do not represent zoonotic pathogens despite the fact that dormice occasionally inhabit cottages and village houses, and are used in human nutrition.     

Mutation detection analysis of a region of 16S-like ribosomal RNA gene of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Entamoeba histolytica</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Entamoeba dispar</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Entamoeba moshkovskii</Emphasis>

Background  

The level of intra-species genetic variation in Entamoeba histolytica, Entamoeba dispar and Entamoeba moshkovskii populations in a localized geographic area, like Puducherry, India, remains unknown.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helicobacter pylori</Emphasis> duodenal ulcer promoting gene, <Emphasis Type="Italic">dupA</Emphasis>in China

Background  

The prevalence of H. pylori is as high as 60–70% in Chinese population. Although duodenal ulcer and gastric cancer are both caused by H. pylori, they are at opposite ends of the spectrum and as such are considered mutually exclusive. Duodenal ulcer promoting (dupA) gene was reported to be associated with duodenal ulcer development. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dupA gene of Helicobacter pylori in patients with various gastroduodenal diseases and to explore the association between the gene and other virulence factors.     

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.     

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.     

Effect of treating <Emphasis Type="Italic">Schistosoma haematobium</Emphasis> infection on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plasmodium falciparum-specific</Emphasis> antibody responses

Background  

The overlapping geographical and socio-economic distribution of malaria and helminth infection has led to several studies investigating the immunological and pathological interactions of these parasites. This study focuses on the effect of treating schistosome infections on natural human immune responses directed against plasmodia merozoite surface proteins MSP-1 (DPKMWR, MSP1₁₉), and MSP-2 (CH150 and Dd2) which are potential vaccine candidates as well as crude malaria (schizont) and schistosome (whole worm homogenate) proteins.     

Metacercariae of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Centrocestus formosanus</Emphasis> in goldfish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Carassius auratus</Emphasis> L.) imported into Croatia

Summary The presence of metacercariae of Centrocestus formosanus was detected on the gills of goldfish (Carassius auratus L.) imported from Singapore and obtained from two pet shops. This is the first report of the parasite in Croatia. The histopathological changes observed lead to the conclusion that the infection could be one of the reasons for the death of goldfish.     

10 Jahre <Emphasis Type="Italic">Der Pneumologe</Emphasis>

There are currently about 8,000 individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) living in Germany. This disease is the most common fatal congenital metabolic disorder in the Caucasian population. The first causal therapy is now available for CF patients with the G551D mutation. Rapidly developing diagnostic and therapeutic options have led to a significant increase in life expectancy and more than half of CF patients are older than 18 years. Nevertheless, in 2010, 42.8% of adult CF patients were still being treated in pediatric institutions. This requires a prompt development of adequate models of care as well as of transitional structures, both of which still constitute a problem. The transition process with the goal of professional adult care is insufficiently defined; therefore, models allowing a successful transition with sustainable professional care and a positive effect on the long-term course of the disease and the prognosis are being developed. Several transition models have been tested in Germany. A uniform, comprehensive model is unlikely to be applicable for all institutions, whereas structural developments considering local conditions and supported by participating stakeholders on both sides (pediatrics and internal medicine) are realistic. Two different transitional models tested locally are described.     

Posttraumatic ankle arthritis due to a novel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nocardia</Emphasis> species

Introduction  

Nocardial arthritis in immunocompetent patients is rare, and the optimum duration of antimicrobial therapy is unknown, although several months of antibiotic treatment is often recommended.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Centrorhynchus</Emphasis> (Acanthocephala,Centrorhynchidae) endoparasite of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Guira guira</Emphasis> (Aves,Cuculidae) from Argentina

Centrorhynchus guira n. sp. is described from the guira cuckoo, Guira guira (Gmelin) (Cuculiformes: Cuculidae), from Argentina. This new species is characterized by the proboscis armament with 32 longitudinal rows (29 with 18 hooks per row and 3 with 19 hooks per row) and by the following hook pattern per row: 8–9 true hooks, 4 transitional hooks with lateral alate processes, and 6 spiniform hooks. The presence of transitional hooks is shared with five other Neotropical species in the genus: C. polymorphus, C. albidus, C. microcephalus, C. kuntzi and C. crotophagicola. Among these species, C. guira n. sp. most closely resembles C. kuntzi in having transitional hooks with lateral alate processes, however differs in the number of hooks per row and spiniform hooks. This is the first record of the genus Centrorhynchus parasitizing Argentinean birds. A key to the species of the Neotropical Centrorhynchus Lühe 1911 is presented.     

Pathology associated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Contracaecum rudolphii</Emphasis> (Nematoda: Anisakidae) infection in the great cormorant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phalacrocorax carbo</Emphasis> (L. 1758)

This is a report of lesions associated with the nematode Contracaecum rudolphii (Nematoda: Anisakidae) from the proventriculus of the great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo (L. 1758). The study was undertaken as part of a health monitoring program for P. carbo, which is endangered and thus protected within the European continent. Cormorants were collected by gun-shot from north-eastern Poland in the spring of 2006, four birds were necropsied on site and the gastrointestinal tract was examined for the presence of nematodes. The birds came from a region with noted increases in the cormorant population over the last decade. Esophageal and gastric sections with parasites in situ were fixed in formalin and processed routinely for paraffin embedding, stained with H&E and examined by brightfield microscopy. Parasite associated lesions consisted of severe, ulcerative gastritis at the attachment sites, and diffuse granulomatous gastritis in adjacent areas. Eosinophilic material speculated to be the parasite-derived excretory-secretory product was consistently forming the parasite-host boundry at the attachment points. Although the parasite-associated gastric lesions were focally severe, all examined birds appeared in good body condition. Because only four birds were investigated in this study, the potential contribution of C. rudolphii to morbidity and mortality in great cormorants needs to be examined further.