Major sperm proteins (MSPs) are a nematode-specific system of cytoskeletal required for amoeboid movement. A number MSP genes vary in different nematode species, but encoded protein sequences reveal high homology between these proteins. However, all studies localization and functions to date based exclusively on the representatives order Rhabditida belonging class Chromadorea, while MSP-driven ...

During necropsy of a specimen of Lagothrix cana (É. Geoffroy, 1812) (Primates: Atelidae) from the Brazilian Amazon, pinworms were found in the large intestine. The intensity of infection was 64 parasites (17 males and 47 females) and there were no gross pathological changes related to parasitism. After morphological analysis the parasites were identified as Trypanoxyuris (Paraoxyuronema) lagoth...

We determined the prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis (Nematoda, Filariidae) among 433 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in northeastern Spain, between 1990 and 1992. Forty-six (11%) of 433 foxes were infected; the intensity ranged from 1 to 36 (mean +/- SE; 4.39 +/- 0.92) nematodes per host. The prevalence of D. immitis was higher in foxes inhabiting riparian zones of the study area. This population has...

Copper-zinc superoxide dismutase from Ascaris suum (Nematoda) was purified in a new, more efficient, and faster manner. The process included differential centrifugation, fractionation with ammonium sulfate, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis, yielding a 340-fold purification (specific activity of 47 units/mg). Optimal storage conditions, optimal pH range, thermostability,...

Sudhausia aristotokia n. gen., n. sp. and S. crassa n. gen., n. sp. (Nematoda: Diplogastridae): viviparous new species with precocious gonad development Matthias HERRMANN 1, Erik J. RAGSDALE 1, Natsumi KANZAKI 2 and Ralf J. SOMMER 1,∗ 1 Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Spemannstraße 37, Tübingen, Germany 2 Forest Pathology Laboratory, Forestry ...

A parasitological survey was carried out on a sample of sixty mutton snappers (Lutjanus analis) that were caught on the coast of Alagoas, northeastern Brazil. The parasite diversity and infection levels were low. The ectoparasite Rocinela signata Schioedte & Meinert, 1879 (Isopoda: Aegidae), and larvae of two endoparasites, Trypanorhyncha gen. sp. and Hysterothylacium sp. (Nematoda: Anisakidae)...

A year-long research on the Mugil cephalus and M. curema diet was conducted. The food content in the cardiac portion of 192 stomachs revealed a great similarity in both species leading to two conclusions: sediments are their basic food and high levels of benthic diatoms are dominant. A total of 130 taxa were found (Nitzschia, Navicula, Amphora, and Cocconeis dominated). Other food components we...

Intestinal helminths are reported from four species of scincid lizards from southern Africa: Mabuya occidentalis, Mabuya spilogaster, Mabuya striata and Mabuya variegata. The helminth fauna consisted of one species of Cestoda, Oochoristica truncata and five species of Nematoda, Abbreviata paradoxa, Maxvachonia dimorpha, Parapharyngodon rotundatus, Spauligodon petersi and Thubunaea fitzsimonsi. ...

Benthic fauna play a crucial role in organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling at the sediment-water boundary in aquatic ecosystems. In terrestrial systems, grazing herbivores have been shown to influence below-ground communities through alterations to plant distribution and composition, however whether similar cascading effects occur in aquatic systems is unknown. Here, we assess the r...