Isolation and characterisation of Plasmodium falciparum (Welch, 1897) soluble antigens from infected patient plasma, Western blotting, thermal stability and ELISA assays using hyperimmune IgG-antimalaria antibodies was the main objective of this work. A circulating antigen of approximately Mr 33-35 kDa with good specificity and antigenicity, in the plasma of malarial patients was shown. Heating at 100°C did not destroy its antigenicity. When fractions highly enriched in the 33-35 kDa proteins were used in ELISAs, a seroreactivity in plasma obtained from primary-infected individuals was found. Controls from normal patients were always negative. The antigenic characteristics suggest that it may be included within the group of new described Plasmodium soluble antigens.
Numerous coccidian stages were found in the kidney tubules of the golden carp (Carassius auratus gibelio). The merogonial and gamogonial stages were localized extracytoplasmally in the microvillous region of the epithelial cells. The host-parasite interface consisted of i) a large area where the parasite was separated from the host cytoplasm by the parasitophorous vacuole membrane only, and ii) a zone of multiple fusions of the host cell membrane investing the parasite to the neighbouring microvilli. The taxonomic status of the extracytoplasmic stages is not clear, however, their possible appurtenance to Eimeria scardimi, which was frequently found in the kidneys of golden carps in the same population, is discussed.
The macrophage cell-line J774.E1 and Leishmania m. mexicana infection was used to investigate the uptake of liposomes, which differed in their bulk phospholipid: ester- or ether-analogue of phosphatydilcholine (PC). The receptor-mediated uptake of both species of liposomes, containing native or acetylated LDL as ligands was also evaluated. Uninfected and infected J774.E1 cell-line accumulated more ester- and ether-liposomes alone than mixed type (50:50, ester/ether). The utilization was significantly enhanced when both types of liposomes contained native LDL. The highest uptake was recorded for liposomes bearing acetylated LDL by infected J774.E1 cells. Accumulation of ester- and ether-liposomes with the same ligand was not markedly affected by different chemical nature of PC. Finally, ether-liposomes alone possessed certain activity against Leishmania m. mexicana amastigotes. The results presented here demonstrated the usefulness of ether-liposomes with specific ligands in site-specific delivery of antileishmanial compounds in vitro.
The unknown oligochaete host in the life-cycle of Hoferellus carassii Achmerov, 1960 was identified as a member of the family Naididae, the genus Nais (most probably Nais elinguis). The aurantiactinomyxon spore found by El-Matbouli et al. ( 1992a) is demonstrated to be the actinosporean stage of Hoferellus carassii. The development of this spore within the naidid host is described by electron microscopy, and the results compared with those of Janiszewska (1955, 1957) and Marqués (1984. 1986) for Actinosporea originally described as a separate group of parasites. Additionally the plasmodial development of H. carassii within the urinary bladder of the goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus Linnaeus, 1758) is described.
A new nematode, Dichelyne alatae sp. n., is described on the basis of the worms recovered from the intestine of the whiting, Sillaginopsis panijus (Perciformes: Sillaginidae) from the estuary of the river Hooghly at Kalyani, West Bengal, India. Dichelyne alatae differs from congeners in having a small body size, deirids posterior to the oesophagus, short and wide caudal alae at the level of cloacal opening, unequal, alate spicules, a shield-shaped gubemaculum, a different number of caudal papillae and a conical tail with spines in its distal region.
Lernanthropus cynoscicola sp.n. (Copepoda: Lernanthropidae), a parasite of sciaenid fish Cynoscion striatus Cuvier from the coast of Argentina, is described and illustrated. The new species resembles five other species of Lernanthropus in general body shape, but it can be distinguished from them by the relatively short and tapered dorsal plate of the 4th leg-bearing segment, the length of the 4th legs being approximately equal to the rest of the body, and other differences. L. trachuri Brian, 1903 is reported for the first time in Argentina on Trachurus lathami from the coast of the Buenos Aires province.
Nothobomolochus cresseyi sp. n. (Copepoda: Bomolochidae), a parasite from gills of the engraulid fish Engraulis anchoita Hubbs et Marini (Pisces: Engraulidae) from the coast of Argentina, is described and illustrated. The new species can be distinguished from other species of Nothobomolochus Vervoort, 1962 by the following combination of characters: three modified setae on the base of the antennule similar in length to the plumose setae, the nature of the armature of the third segment of the fourth endopod and the length and width of the thoracic somites 2 to 4 decreasing gradually. The new species represents the first record of this genus for Argentina.
A new species, Gnathia nkulu sp. n. is described from material collected off the South African coast at 80-200m depth. It differs from the intertidal species Gnathia africana Barnard, 1914 in that the mediofrontal process is not deeply divided into two lobes, article 2 of the pylopod is rounded and small wart-like tubercles and long simple setae are present on both the cephalosome and pereon.