Hélio Martins de Araújo Costa

Angiostrongylus vasorum (Baillet, 1866) Nematoda: Prostostrongylidae, em cães de Minas Gerais, Brasil

For the first time Angiostrongylus vasorum in Canis familiaris in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, is described. The description and measurements of three males and ten females are presented together with a diagram of the parasite.

HELMINTHS OF WHITE-BELLIED OPOSSUM FROM BRAZIL

Helminths were collected from 22 specimens of the white-bellied opossum (Didelphis albiventris) captured in the region of Pampulha (Belo Horizonte, Brazil), from May 1985 to March 1995. Ten species of helminths were collected; these included Rhopalias coronatus, Brachylaema migrans, Aspidodera raillieti, Cruzia tentaculata, Turgida turgida, Gongylonema sp., Viannaia hamata, Travassostrongylus orloffi, Trichuris didelphis and Capillaria sp.Helminths were collected from 22 specimens of the white-bellied opossum (Didelphis albiventris) captured in the region of Pampulha (Belo Horizonte, Brazil), from May 1985 to March 1995. Ten species of helminths were collected; these included Rhopalias coronatus, Brachylaema migrans, Aspidodera raillieti, Cruzia tentaculata, Turgida turgida, Gongylonema sp., Viannaia hamata, Travassostrongylus orloffi, Trichuris didelphis and Capillaria sp.

Susceptibilidade de Lymnaea (Pseudosuccinea) columella (Say, 1817) exposta à infecçäo por miracídios de Fasciola hepática (Linnalus, 1758)

With the purpose of studying the susceptibility of Lymnaea (pseudosuccinea) columella, from Minas Gerais state in Brazil, to infection by Fasciola hepatica, four samples from different regions in the state of Minas Gerais were tested in comparison with one sample from Rio de Janeiro state and another from Rio Grande do Sul state, using a sample of F. hepatica isolated from sheep in Rio Grande do Sul and maintained in rabbits in laboratory conditions. The Lymnaea were exposed to infections with six, eight and ten miracidia by molusca and studied the occurrence of infection and the deathrate. In this conditions the conclusions were: 1- the deathrate of the Lymnaea (pseudosuccinea) columella seems do not be in relation with the occurrence of infections by Fasciola hepatica; 2- the samples of L. (Pseudosuccinea) columella from Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul had similar susceptibility to infection by F. hepatica; 3- the Minas Gerais human population and the cattle, sheep and swine herds may be considered in risk of F. hepatica infection, specially those that live in Rio Paraiba valley, by the fact that nowadays F. hepatica infection is common in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Rio Paraiba valley.

A new nematode species (Seuratoidea, Cucullanidae) parasitizing Parauchenipterus striatulus (Steindachner, 1876) (Pisces, Auchenipteridae) in Brazil

A new species of a cucullanid nematode is described, illustrated and compared with Cucullanus brevispiculus Moravec, Kohn & Fernandes, 1993 and C. rhamphichthydis Moravec, Kohn & Fernandes, 1997, two species previously reported as parasitizing freshwater fish in South America. The new species is characterized mainly by markedly short spicules, deirids and excretory pore situated posterior to the oesophago-intestinal junction, presence of strongly sclerotized plates in the oesophastome and oesophagus divided into two distinct portions.

Lagochilascaris minor Leiper, 1909, (Nematoda-Ascaridae) de origem humana

The Authors studied parasites obtained by surgery in the right cervical region of a child from the city of Colorado, county of Vilhena, in the State of Rondonia-Brazil. This is 18th Brazilian case described. The Authors suggest a key to the known species of Lagochilascaris.

The life cycle of Dendritobilharzia anatinarum cheatum, 1941 (Trematoda, Schistosomatidae)

The life cycle of Dendritobilharzia anatinarum was completed experimentally in the laboratory. Cairina moschata domestica (domestic duck) and Biomphalaria straminea served respectively as definitive and intermediate hosts. Eggs passed in duck faeces hatch miracidia in 10 minutes when placed in water. Eight days after the snail infection, the mother sporocyst contains daughter sporocysts ready to migrate. Cercariae are present within the daughter sporocysts 23 days after infection and emerge from the snail on the 25th day. They actively penetrate the skin of the duck and after a prepatent of 39 days, sexually mature trematodes are present in the blood vessels of the bird. The adult parasite is predominantly in the renal-portal system and to a lesser degree in the lungs and mesentery. A detailed morphological description of the egg. miracidium, sporocyst and cercaria is presented.

Viability of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs eliminated after anti-helminthic therapy

The viability of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs passed in the feces was evaluated after treatment of patients with one of the anti-helminthic drugs (thiabendazole, levamisole, cambendazole, pyrantel pamoate, mebendazole or praziquantel). For each drug, a group of 5 children was selected and their feces collected 24 h before treatment and 24, 48 and 72 h after drug administration, except for mebendazole, with the feces being collected throughout the period of treatment. After sedimentation, the total amount of eggs from each collection was transferred to tissue culture flasks containing 10 ml H2SO4 0,1N, with the addition of 3 drops of a miconazole solution, and incubated at 28 degrees C, individually, for 80 days. The flasks were maintained open and the culture were oxygenated daily by manual agitation. On the 80th day of culture, 20-days-old albino mice were inoculated with 3,200 embryonated eggs, per os. Larvae were recovered from their lungs and hearts, on the 8th day after infection, according to Baermans method (Morais, 1948). Thiabendazole showed 100.0% ovicidal capacity as early as 48 h after treatment. Inhibition of embryonal development was observed when thiabendazole was used. This drug also had an effect on the eggs infectivity when inoculated into normal mice. No significant effect on embryonal development was observed for the other drugs tested.

Travassosnema gen. n. with the description of T. travassosi sp. n. (Dracunculoidea, Guyanemidae) parasite of Acestrorhynchus lacustris Reinhardt, 1874 (Characidae) from Três Marias Reservoir, MG, Brazil

A new genus, Travassosnema (Guyanemidae, Dracunculoidea) is proposed to include filariid worms having esophagus divided into muscular and glandular parts, with esophageal appendix near junction with intestine; anus functional; vulva anterior, well developed and functional in mature females. Travassonema travassosi sp. n., a parasite of Acestrorhynchus lacustris Reinhardt, 1874 from Tres Marias Reservoir (Sao Francisco River) in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, is described. The generic and the specific names are a tribure to Brazilian parasitologist Lauro Travassos at his birth centenary.

A new helminth parasite of fish: Spirocamallanus freitasi sp. n. (Nematoda - Camallanidae)

A new species of nematode is described, Spirocamallanus freitasi sp. n. The worms were collected from fishes (Bergiaria westermanni, Pimelodus maculatus and Pimelodus sp.) living in Tres Marias Dam (Sao Francisco River) in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Spirocamallanus freitasi sp. n. differs from Procamallanus iheringi, P. amarali, P. macaensis, P. (Spirocamallanus) pimelodus, P. (S.) solani and P. (S.) pereirai by having digitated larger spicule and from P. cruzi by having not digitated terminal parts of both spicules. It differs also from P. (S.) intermedius by having not larger spicule divided in two undigitated branches and six to nine sclerotized bands in the buccal capsule; P. rarus has three to four sclerotized bands and tridigitated larger branch of longer speicule, differing from S. feitasi sp. n.

Cotylophoron travassosi sp.n. (Trematoda - Paramphistomidae) from cattle

A new species of the genus Cotylophoron (Trematoda--Paramphistomidae) --Cotylophoron travassosi sp. n.--is described. The measurements of the worm and its structures are compared with the valid known species.