Host and site-specific pattern of occurrence of digenetic trematodes in rodent communities from Lower Silesia, Poland

Trematodes of the class Digenea are parasites with complex life cycles and often use small mammals as definitive hosts; however, they are usually not highly prevalent in this group of mammals. In our work the patterns of occurrence of digeneans parasitizing small mammals were analyzed. The surveys were conducted at four locations, i.e., irrigation fields (Osobowice), a water distribution area (Mokry Dwor), recreational grounds (Redzin forest), and Nature Reserve „Stawy Milickie”. Overall 894 rodents were examined. During investigation we identified flukes representing the following species and groups: Brachylaima recurva, Brachylecithum glareoli, Echinostomatinae sp., and Plagiorchis elegans. The digeneans were reported from all studied locations and were present in Apodemus agrarius, A. flavicollis and Myodes glareolus. The statistical analysis showed significant qualitative and quantitative differences in infections with digeneans among examined animals. The highest prevalence of infection with flukes was reported in A. agrarius (28.8%) with the maximum value – 78.2% in the Nature Reserve „Stawy Milickie”; only at this location the co-infection with three and two trematode species were found. The differences in occurrence of Brachylaima sp., Echinostomatinae sp., and Plagiorchis sp. found in „Stawy Milickie” were not statistically significant; the flukes occupied the small intestine of A. agrarius at the same frequency. For comparison, digenetic trematode infection in the yellow necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis was dramatically lower (overall prevalence 2.8%) than in the striped field mouse A. agrarius, and flukes were reported only in Mokry Dwor (5.1%) and Milicz (5.9%). The bank voles Myodes glareolus were infected with two trematode species, i.e., Plagiorchis elegans (1.3%), and Brachylecithum glareoli (19.2%), and these parasites were reported only in the water distribution area. Aside from two accidental reports of dicrocoeliid trematodes found in Osobowice, Brachylecithum glareoli was reported mainly in bank voles M. glareolus collected from Mokry Dwor, which could indicate both host and site specificity for this species. Our results showed that the food habits of hosts species and site-specific conditions could be taken into consideration as potential factors affecting the trematode fauna of rodents

Różnorodność biologiczna kapilarii

Biodiversity of Capillariinae. The subfamily Capillariinae includes about 300 species of nematodes parasitizing all groups of vertebrates. Taxonomy and systematics of this parasites have been changed many times because of a difficulty in designation of particular species” features. That's why there are a lot of synonyms in this group. Nowadays most authors accept the systematics of Capillariinae according to Moravec [1]. Biology and ecology of species parasitizing breeding birds and mammals is well known, however data relative to capillaria of wild animals are fragmentary. Capillariinae parasitize in various part of alimentary system: mainly in intestine, stomach, duodenum, rarely in oesophagus, rectum or bursa of Fabricius and liver as well as respiratory and excretory systems. Pathogenicity depends on localization of nematodes and the age of the hosts, and on infection intensity. Species recorded in human beings are: Aonchotheca philippinensis, Eucoleus aerophilus and Calodium hepaticum. They are a cause of intestinal, lung and hepatic capillariosis

Helminthfauna of mice of Apodemus genus from Wrocław area

Seventeen helminth species were found in rodents of the species Apodemus agrarius and A. flavicollis, from irrigation fields (Wrocław, Osobowice) and water distribution area (Wrocław, Mokry Dwór). The total prevalence of infection was 66.2%. Dominant species were: Heterakis spumosa in Apodemus agrarius; Heilgmosomoides polygyrus, Trichuris muris in A. flavicollis from irrigation fields and Aonchotheca murissylvatici from the same host but from water distribution area

Host specificity of nematodes in Poland

Nematodes, which are the most diverse group of helminths in many aspects, constitute a good model for analysis of specificity. Among this group, we found monoxenous and stenoxenous species with a limited range of hosts and also oligoxenous and polyxenous species with a wide range of hosts. Order Oxyurida is represented mainly by monoxenous and stenoxenous species. The species from orders Strongylida, Spirurida and Ascaridida are characterized by all types of specificity while oligoxenous and polyxenous species are typical for capillariid nematodes (Enoplida). But some data show that the level of specificity is more determined by biology and ecology of host−parasite relationship than by taxonomic status

A record of Pseudamphistomum truncatum (Rudolphi, 1819) (Digenea, Opisthorchiidae) in the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra L.) from Poland

Opisthorchid digenean Pseudamphistomum truncatum (Rudolphi, 1819) was isolated from liver bile ducts of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) found dead in the fishing pond complex near Wrocław (Lower Silesia, SW. Poland) in March 2009. Since this is the first record of the parasite in the otter from Poland, the description, biometrical data and figure are presented

Electronic and vibrational contributions to first hyperpolarizability of donor-acceptor-substituted azobenzene

In this study we report on the electronic and vibrational (hyper)polarizabilities of donor–acceptorsubstituted azobenzene. It is observed that both electronic and vibrational contributions to the electric dipole first hyperpolarizability of investigated photoactive molecule substantially depend on the conformation. The contributions to the nuclear relaxation first hyperpolarizability are found to be quite important in the case of two considered isomers (cis and trans). Although the double-harmonic term is found to be the largest in terms of magnitude, it is shown that the total value of the nuclear relaxation contribution to vibrational first hyperpolarizability is a result of subtle interplay of higher-order contributions. As a part of the study, we also assess the performance of long-range-corrected density functional theory in determining vibrational contributions to electric dipole (hyper)polarizabilities. In most cases, the applied long-range-corrected exchange correlation potentials amend the drawbacks of their conventional counterpart

The Status of Heligmosomoides americanus, Representative of an American Clade of Vole-Infecting Nematodes

Heligmosomoides americanus is shown by molecular phylogenetic analysis of 3 nuclear (28S, ITS1, and ITS2) and 2 mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase 1 and cytochrome b) loci to be a distinct species of heligmosomid nematode with a long-independent evolutionary history, and not a subspecies of Heligmosomoides polygyrus . Rather than being a recent arrival in North America, the species probably originated as a Beringian immigrant with the host vole Phenacomys, approximately 2 million years ago (MYA