Tetrameres (Tetrameres) spirospiculum n. sp. (Nematoda, Tetrameridae) from the Buff-necked Ibis, Theristicus caudatus caudatus (Boddaert) (Aves, Threskiornithidae)

Tetrameres (T.) spirospiculum n. sp. is proposed, taking into account the very unusual aspect of the longer spicule, which is slender and progressively spiralled from its middle, towards the distal end, that promptly distinguishes it from all the species of the genus.

The epidemiology of malaria in Prábis, Guinea-Bissau

This article reports upon a community survey of malaria in Prábis, Guinea-Bissau. A house to house census of the population was initially carried out from August to December 1991(rainy season). After completing the census of each village, the population was invited to come, a week later, to a central point, where they were medically examined and finger-prick blood samples were collected for epidemiological characterization of the malaria situation in the area. The blood films of the one single village were used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) with optical microscopy detection of parasites. In another village, the occurrence of parasitaemia was compared in children with and without fever. During the dry season, from March to June 1992, the population in each village was again invited to come to a central point. Some of the field procedures were repeated. The study revealed Prábis as an administrative Sector of Guinea-Bissau with endemic malaria, mostly due to Plasmodium falciparum, but with a significant rate of mixed infections. Active transmission occurred throughout the year, but it was more intensive during the rainy season and in the northwestern quadrant of the Sector. The level of endemicity of the villages varied from hypo to holoendemic. The factors associated with the differences among villages included village size and predominant economic activity (closeness to rice fields). The transmission paradigm was, most likely, a mixture of malaria of the African wet Savannah and malaria associated with irrigated paddy fields. PCR proved to be a sensitive method with low specificity during the dry season. Pyraexia of 37.4ºC or higher in children aged 2-9 years is not a sensitive indicator of parasitaemia but, it is highly specific and it has a clinically useful predictive value.

Synhimantus (Synhimantus) magnipapillatus n. sp. (Nematoda, Acuarioidea) from the yellow-crowned night-heron, Nyctanassa violacea cayennensis (Gmelin) (Aves, Ardeidae)

Synhimantus (Synhimantus) magnipapillatus n. sp., mainly considering the outstanding size of the cervical papillae and the delicate structure of the cephalic cordons, is not related to any other species of the genus, except for S. (S.) laticeps, concerning the similarities regarding the spicules, that justify their comparison.

Four new species of Oswaldocruzia (Nematoda: Trichostrongylina, Molineoidea) Parasitizing amphibians and lizards from Ecuador

Description of four new species of Oswaldocruzia parasitizing Iguanidae and Leptodactylidae from Ecuador, demonstrate that they are morphologically close to each other. Like most of the other neotropical and holarctic Oswaldocruzia , they are characterized by spicules with three main branches: blade, shoe and fork; the division of the fork within the distal third of the spicule length appears to be characteristic of the neotropical species. - Oswaldocruzia bainae n. sp. parasitizing Anolis chrysolepis and Anolis fuscoauratus possesses a synlophe visible only on transversal sections of the body. It is composed of rounded and not pointed ridges. - Oswaldocruzia tcheprakovae n. sp. parasitizing Eleutherodactylus altamazonicus is closely related to O. bainae , but the synlophe is present only in the anterior and posterior extremities of the body. - Oswaldocruzia cassonei n. sp. parasitizing Eleutherodactylus lanthanites is closely related to O. taranchoni, Ben Slimane and Durette-Desset, 1995, a parasite of Bufo marinus from Brazil. It is differentiated by the synlophe and the measurements. - Oswaldocruzia petterae n. sp. parasitizing Leptodactylus pentadactylus is closely related to O. chambrieri, Ben Slimane and Durette-Desset, 1993, parasitizing Bufo and Eleutherodactylus in the same region. It is differentiated since, for an equivalent length of the body, the ridges are almost two times fewer and the spicules smaller.

The Changing Face of the Epidemiology of Tuberculosis due to Molecular Strain Typing: A Review

About one third of the world population is infected with tubercle bacilli, causing eight million new cases of tuberculosis (TB) and three million deaths each year. After years of lack of interest in the disease, World Health Organization recently declared TB a global emergency and it is clear that there is need for more efficient national TB programs and newly defined research priorities. A more complete epidemiology of tuberculosis will lead to a better identification of index cases and to a more efficient treatment of the disease. Recently, new molecular tools became available for the identification of strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), allowing a better recognition of transmission routes of defined strains. Both a standardized restriction-fragment-length-polymorphism-based methodology for epidemiological studies on a large scale and deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) amplification-based methods that allow rapid detection of outbreaks with multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, often characterized by high mortality rates, have been developed. This review comments on the existing methods of DNA-based recognition of M. tuberculosis strains and their peculiarities. It also summarizes literature data on the application of molecular fingerprinting for detection of outbreaks of M. tuberculosis, for identification of index cases, for study of interaction between TB and infection with the human immunodeficiency virus, for analysis of the behavior of MDR strains, for a better understanding of risk factors for transmission of TB within communities and for population-based studies of TB transmission within and between countries

Limnomermis subtropicalis n. sp. (Nematoda:Mermithidae) a Parasite of Larvae of Simulium orbitale Lutz (Diptera:Simuliidae) in Argentina

Limnomermis subtropicalis n. sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae) a parasite of Simulium orbitale Lutz (Diptera: Simuliidae) found in Argentina is described and illustrated. This species is characterized by having medium sized amphids, pocket-shaped, medium sized vagina, sculptured spicule, and by having 9 preanal, 7 postanal papillae in the ventral row, and 12 papillae in the lateral rows

Aplectana artigasi n.sp. (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae) from the Frog Eupsophus calcaratus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) in Southern Chile

A new species of nematode found in the intestine of Eupsophus calcaratus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from Yaldad, Chile (45° 5'S;73° 43'W) is described. This new nematode is compared with other South American species of the genus. Aplectana artigasi differs from the only known Chilean species, Aplectana chilensis, as the former has a greater number of postanal papillae and a double papilla in the ventral region of the tail

Scanning Electron Microscopy of Lagochilascaris minor Leiper, 1909 (Nematoda: Ascarididae)

Lagochilascaris minor Leiper, 1909 is a parasitic nematode with its biological cycle still unknown, even though it was found in humans, domestic and silvatic animals. Adult worms, collected by surgical drainage from a human patient from the State of Pará, Brazil, were micrographed using a scanning electron microscope. Morphological aspects of males and females such as cephalic structures, caudal papillae and cuticular patterns were analyzed and compared with the previous descriptions adding new data for the identification of this species.