When in vitro growth of Vittaforma comeae was tested using MDCK, MRC-5, XEN, L-929 and FHM cell lines, propagation occurred only in MDCK, MRC-5 and XEN cells. The intervals required for the various stages of the life cycle to develop were the same in all the cell lines tested. The MDCK cell line was selected to support the growth of V. comeae in vitro and provide the system for in vitro testing of drugs. The weekly output of V. comeae spores from the MDCK cell monolayer was monitored over a 61-week period during which there were fluctuations but no definite increase or decrease in output. Albendazole at 2.1 or 4.2 pg/ml in MEM was tested against V. comeae in MDCK cell monolayers and showed antimicrosporidial activity. The percentage of infected cells was reduced in the presence of the drug and there were ultrastmctural abnormalities in all stages of the life cycle. The drug prevents parasite division.
The need for more long-term studies on helminth communities was addressed by examining changes in composition and diversity of the intestinal helminth component and infracommunities in eels of a small isolated river over 12 years. Examination of samples over one summer season indicated that single samples were representative of community richness in that year. In 1985 the community was species poor (1 species only) and with zero diversity, but by 1996 it comprised six species and all parameters at both levels indicated that it was the richest community yet reported from eels. This overall increase in diversity was not regular or uniform from year to year: rather, the general trend could be reversed in any year(s) and variation between years was considerable. The occurrence of many species was erratic and the identity of the dominant species varied between years. The helminth species that colonised the river contributed to helminth species richness and had an impact on community diversity. It is believed that the overall increase in diversity reflects the changing conditions in the habitat and catchment, but the erratic fluctuations in parameters may reflect the size of the river and the absence of any rescue effects. The findings are compared with the few other long-term studies and it is suggested that the extent of the variation over long periods makes it very difficult to use helminths as indicators of other than general environmental changes or to detect short-term changes due to such specific sources as pollution.
Los Comanches and other cultural manifestations of the genízaro (mixed Spanish-Indian) culture of New Mexico is widely recognized and belittled as a mere hybrid of the „authentic" Spanish, Puebloan and Plains Indian cultures. The politicization of identity in contemporary America promotes traditionalist revitalization movements and the genízaros seem to be caught between a rock and a hard plače, not accepted by either of the politically well established ethnicities of New Mexico. They are denied authenticity and consequently are also denied access to funds which have become available for groups that have made successful ethnic claims and achieved state recognition. In spite of this difficult situation, the genízaro culture continues to live, representing a very unique cultural complex. The case of the genízaros of New Mexico may help us better understand the politics of (self-)identification and the process of ethnogenesis as a response to material and political opportunities created by a state reluctant to endorse a common national culture.
An intriguing element of the Pueblo and Hispanic villages of New Mexico is the Matachines Dance. It is performed on different, mostly religious occasions and requires a great personal and financial commitment on the part of the participants. Where the dance tradition disappeared in the past, it is being revived in the present, and where it continues to be danced in an uninterrupted tradition, it is becoming ever more costly and exuberant. The dance draws on European Middle-Age dance dramas, but it is heavy with indigenous layers of meaning. On face value, its key protagonists - Montezuma, Malinche, Abuelos, Montezuma’s entourage and the Bull - reenact the victory of Christianity in the New World. That is the meaning the dance has for the Hispanic villages, in addition to a number of place- and time-specific meanings. While seemingly identical, the dance often carries a different set of meanings in the Pueblos, symbolizing the banishment of foreign elements and the restoration of indigenous rule. In both the Pueblo and Hispanic villages, aside from the religious and mythical significance, the dance serves to delineate and reinforce ethnic boundaries while promoting a sense of community and solidarity. The Matachines Dance thus serves as a fascinating and paradoxical example of a shared cultural praxis which reinforces perceived cultural difference.