Ten Southern Hemisphere cephalopod species from six families collected from six localities in western, southern and eastern Australia were examined for dicyemid parasites. A total of 11 dicyemid species were recorded, with three cephalopod species uninfected, four infected by one dicyemid species and three infected by multiple dicyemid species. Dicyemid species prevalence ranged from 24-100%, with observed infection patterns explored due to host size, host life history properties, host geographical collection locality and inter-parasite species competition for attachment sites, space and nutrients. Left and right renal appendages were treated as separate entities and four different patterns of infection by asexual and sexual dicyemid stages were observed. The detection within a single host individual of asexual dicyemid stages in one renal appendage and sexual dicyemid stages in the other renal appendage supported the notion that developmental cues mediating stage transition are parasite-controlled, and also occurs independently and in isolation within each renal appendage. Our study exploring dicyemid parasite fauna composition in relation to cephalopod host biology and ecology therefore represents a thorough, broad-scale taxonomic analysis that allows for a greater understanding of dicyemid infection patterns.
Two hundred and seventeen captive great apes (150 chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes; 14 bonobos, Pan paniscus; 53 western gorillas, Gorilla gorilla) and 20 personnel from thirteen European zoos and two African sanctuaries were sampled and examined in order to determine the occurrence of Enterocytozoon bieneusi and species of Encephalitozoon in faecal specimens and to compare the epidemiological situation between zoos and sanctuaries. Microsporidia were detected at all sampling sites. Sequence analyses of ITS amplicons generated by using microsporidia-specific primers determined the presence of microsporidia in 87 samples including 13 humans; since two cases of simultaneous occurrence of Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Enterocytozoon bieneusi were identified, 89 full-length ITS sequences were obtained, namely 78 Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype I, five E. cuniculi genotype II, two E. hellem 1A and four Enterocytozoon bieneusi. No Encephalitozoon intestinalis-positive samples were identified. This is the first report of Encephalitozoon species and Enterocytozoon bieneusi genotypes in captive great apes kept under various conditions and the first record of natural infection with E. hellem in great apes. A comparison of zoos and sanctuaries showed a significantly higher prevalence of microsporidia in sanctuaries (P<0.001), raising a question about the factors affecting the occurrence of microsporidia in epidemiologically and sanitarily comparable types of facilities.
During a survey on the biology of Cobitis cf. turcica living in Pınarbaşı Springs (Haymana district, Turkey), symptoms of black spot disease were frequently observed on the specimens. Of the 1295 loach collected, 240 (19 %) specimens were found to be infected with metacercaria of Posthodiplostomum cuticola, a common digenean parasite causing black spot disease in freshwater fish in Eurasia. During spring and autumn, the infection rate was significantly higher than during winter and summer, most probably due to the increasing density of migration of birds in this area. No statistically significant difference was found in condition, weight and length between infected and non-infected specimens; indicating low physiological effects of the encysted metacercaria on the host specimens. However, the prevalence of black spot had a tendency to decrease with age, remarking a higher mortality rate of infected specimens. This increased mortality rate seems to be the most important impact of an infection with metacercaria for a Cobitis population.
Knowledge of blood parasites in Brazilian chelonians is limited, since they have been recorded in only six species. Mesoclemmys vanderhaegei (Bour) is a freshwater turtle with a wide geographic distribution in Brazil, but there is little information about its natural history. This paper reports on a study of the prevalence and infection intensity of a haemogregarine in two subpopulations of M. vanderhaegei. The study was conducted in two areas of Cerrado in the Upper Paraguay River basin in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, between November 2010 and August 2013. Ninety-five (53%) of the 179 turtles captured were positive for haemogregarine parasites. The parasitic forms observed were two morphotypes of intraerythrocytic gametocytes. The prevalence differed between size classes, increasing significantly according to the animals' body size. There was no significant difference between prevalence and sex, or between sampling periods. The mean parasite intensity was 9 parasites/2,000 erythrocytes (0.45%) and the parasite population presented an aggregated distribution, with an aggregation index of 19 and discrepancy of 0.772. This is the first record of a hemoparasite in the freshwater turtle M. vanderhaegei., Vinícius C. Goes, Elizângela S. Brito, Rafael M. Valadão, Camila O. Gutierrez, Amanda M. Picelli, Lúcio A. Viana., and Obsahuje bibliografii
During an ecological investigation of populations of the freshwater bryozoan, Cristatella mucedo Cuvier, parasitic sac-like stages of the myxozoan, Tetracapsula bryozoides Canning, Okamura et Curry, 1996 were discovered within the body cavity of some bryozoan colonies. Subsequent to their detection, data were collected on the incidence and prevalence of myxo-zoans in bryozoan populations in the Thames Valley region and on the effects of myxozoans on their hosts. Notable spatial and temporal variation in incidence and prevalence of myxozoans was documented. The production of statoblasts by bryozoans was significantly compromised by myxozoan infection although the production of larvae was not. Infection by myxozoans resulted in generalized swelling, malformation, degeneration, and slower response times in bryozoan colonies. These findings indicate that myxozoans adversely affect host fitness and may therefore influence population levels. Light microscopy revealed that multiple myxozoan sacs can be present within the continuous body cavity of bryozoan colonies and that sacs apparently undergo fission. Infective spores that develop within sacs are at least on some occasions released into the body cavity of bryozoans. Nothing is known of the subsequent stages in the life cycle of this myxozoan, including whether T. bryozoides infects another species. Spores may be released into the water column to infect new hosts or they may be introduced to new hosts when infected bryozoans are ingested.
Thirty-two specimens of the Nile crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus Laurenti (Reptilia: Crocodylidae), from the Kruger National Park, South Africa, and its vicinity were examined for pentastomid parasites during 1995 to 1999 and 2010 to 2011. Pentastomid parasites occurred throughout the year and were widespread in the study area with an overall prevalence of 97% and an overall mean abundance of 23.4 (0-81). Pentastome assemblages comprised six species in three sebekid genera: Alofia nilotici Riley et Huchzermeyer, 1995, A. simpsoni Riley, 1994, Leiperia cincinnalis Sambon, 1922, Sebekia cesarisi Giglioli in Sambon, 1922, S. minor (Wedl, 1861) and S. okavangoensis Riley et Huchzermeyer, 1995. The possible influence of host age, gender and geographic location (river system) on pentastome prevalence, abundance and species richness was investigated. Generally, neither host age, gender nor locality did affect infracommunities, likely because all hosts examined were adult or subadult and displayed comparable foraging behaviour, resulting in similar exposure pathways to fish intermediate hosts. Additionally, the longevity of pentastomids would contribute to accumulative infections as hosts mature. Structuring of pentastome assemblages was observed in as far as S. minor was the dominant species based on overall prevalence and abundance, followed by the equally common species S. cesarisi and L. cincinnalis. With an overall prevalence ranging from 34% to 41% and relatively low abundances, A. nilotici, A. simpsoni and S. okavangoensis form the rarer component of pentastome communities., Kerstin Junker, Frikkie Calitz, Danny Govender, Boris R. Krasnov, Joop Boomker., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We report the findings of a longitudinal observational study on HIV-infected patients grouped by presumed transmission group, who had diarrhoea. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of and factors associated with Cryptosporidium infection on these patients. Modified formol-ether concentration followed by modified Ziehl-Neelsen and phenol-auraminc/carbol-fuchsin staining techniques were used to identify Cryptosporidium from 465 patients. Cryptosporidiosis was reported in 36/465 (8% and 95% confidence interval 6, 10) patients. Of the positive patients 30 (83%) were men and 6 (17%) women. Prevalence of infection was higher among HIV-seropositive patients whose exposure category was through sexual contact (69%) than among patients in other HIV exposure categories (9%, Standard Z test, P < 0.001). Median CD4+ cell count/mm3 was 120 (range 3-600). Besides diarrhoea, the main clinical manifestations were fever and weight loss in 14 (39%) and 26 (72%) patients, respectively. Cryptosporidium infection was considered to be the first AIDS defining disease in 31% of the patients followed by tuberculosis in 19%, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in 14%, Salmonella sepsis in 6%, isosporiasis in 3%, toxoplasmic encephalitis in 3%, leishmaniasis in 3% and Kaposi’s sarcoma in 3% of the patients. There was no significant difference (P = 0.82) in survival times for those given folate antagonists to treat other opportunistic infections. The decrease in prevalence of cryptosporidiosis observed from 1994 until May 1997 is not statistically significant (P = 0.11). Most cases of cryptosporidial infection in AIDS patients in Lisbon occurred in those whose HIV infection was assumed to have been acquired by the sexual route (hetero-, homo- and bisexual), with few cases occurring in drug-abusers.
The care of patients with severe mental illness (SMI) is often narrowed down to the treatment of biological symptoms of the disease, whilst other psychosocial factors supporting mental health are often neglected. One of these factors influencing disease progression, compliance, self-concept, and motivation for treatment is parenthood. The first step to turning attention to this issue is to be aware of the prevalence of children living with a parent with SMI and the prevalence of parenting among SMI patients. This review aims to assess the current state of knowledge regarding methodological approaches, the prevalence rates of parenthood, the number of children living with a parent with SMI, and the sociodemographic characteristics of these families. A total of 1,156 records were retrieved from EBSCO Discovery in December 2021, and fifteen published studies addressed the review questions. The studies took various approaches to measure prevalence - an epidemiological approach, a census approach, a design in which data from national registries were analysed, or cross-sectional studies in a clinical population. Nine studies investigated the prevalence of parenthood among patients with SMI, and six studies quantified the number of children living with a parent with mental illness. 1/3 of mental health service clients were parents, and 1 to 2 children out of 10 have a parent with mental illness.Parents with SMI face lower education, lower employment, lower income, higher rates of comorbid substance abuse, and higher rates of single parenthood. The aim of the review is not to give a definitive answer to the question of prevalence as much as to point out that there is not a marginal number of children living with a parent with a psychiatric disorder. and Péče o pacienty se závažným duševním onemocněním (SMI) se často zužuje na léčbu biologických příznaků nemoci, zatímco ostatní psychosociální faktory podporující duševní zdraví jsou často opomíjeny. Jedním z těchto faktorů ovlivňujících průběh léčby, komplianci, sebepojetí pacienta a motivaci k léčbě, je rodičovství. Prvním krokem k obrácení pozornosti k této problematice je uvědomění si míry prevalence dětí žijících s rodičem se SMI a míry prevalence rodičovství mezi pacienty se SMI. Cílem tohoto přehledu je zhodnotit metodologické přístupy využívané k měření prevalence, míru prevalence rodičovství, počet dětí žijících s rodičem se SMI a sociodemografické charakteristiky těchto rodin. V databázi EBSCO Discovery bylo v prosinci 2021 vyhledáno celkem 1 156 záznamů, výběrová kritéria splnilo patnáct publikovaných studií, které byly zařazeny do přehledu. Studie využívaly různé přístupy k měření prevalence - epidemiologický přístup, přístup založený na cenzu, design, v němž byla analyzována data z národních registrů, nebo průřezové studie v klinické populaci. Devět studií zkoumalo prevalenci rodičovství u pacientů s duševním onemocněním a šest studií kvantifikovalo počet dětí žijících s rodičem s duševním onemocněním. Rodiče tvořili 1/3 klientů psychiatrických zařízení a 1 až 2 děti z 10 mají rodiče s duševním onemocněním. Rodiče se SMI se potýkají s nižším vzděláním, nižší zaměstnaností, nižšími příjmy, vyšší mírou komorbidního užívání návykových látek a vyšší mírou samoživitelství. Cílem přehledu není dát definitivní odpověď na otázku prevalence, ale spíše poukázat na to, že dětí žijících s rodičem s psychiatrickou poruchou není zanedbatelné množství.
Práce je zaměřena na posouzení výskytu anorektických příznaků u reprezentativního vzorku školní mládeže (N = 4653). Kromě vyplnění dotazníku byli respondenti změřeni a zváženi. Jako screeningové kritérium anorexie bylo využito nízké BMI. 1 % chlapců a 2,1 % dívek ve věku 11, 13 a 15 let mělo tělesnou hmotnost nižší než je kritická hodnota BMI stanovená pro danou věkovou skupinu odpovídající BMI 17,5 u dospělé populace. Všechna MKN-10 kritéria splňovalo 0,17 % děvčat a 0,04 % chlapců. Bez ohledu na kritérium amenorey, které nebylo k dispozici, splňovalo kritéria mentální anorexie 0,35 % děvčat. 0,84 % děvčat splňovalo širší kritéria mentální anorexie (nízká tělesná hmotnost, narušená představa o svém těle). Výsledky studie ukazují na velkou variabilitu základních diagnostických kritérií mentální anorexie, resp. na obtíž jasně stanovit hranici mezi normou a patologií ve vztahu k tělu a jídelním zvyklostem.
Pseudarhahdttsynachus yucatanensis sp. n. (Diplectanidae) is described from the gills of the red grouper, Epinephelus maria (Valenciennes, 1824) (Serranidae), from the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. This new species is characterized by having both the ventral and the dorsal squamodiscs composed of 10-12 rows of rods, with 0-1 innermost row forming a closed circle. Furthermore, the vagina of P. yucatanensis has a non-sclerotized ampulla with a fine, sclerotized duct leading to a sclerot-ized seminal receptacle. Prevalence (percentage of infected fish) and abundance (mean number of worms per examined fish) were estimated for P. yucatanensis from 8 localities along the coast of Yucatan. Prevalence varies from 38% to 100%, while abundance was between 1.2 ± 0.6 and 43.2 ± 17.8 worms per ftsh. The lack of linear relationship between the host length and the number of monogcneans per fish (regression F, = 0.56. p = 0.45) was probably due to the fact that the sample was restricted to juvenile hosts.