New host, geographic records, and histopathologic studies ofAngiostrongylus spp (Nematoda: Angiostrongylidae) in rodents from Argentina with updated summary of records from rodent hosts and host specificity assessment

To date, 21 species of the genus Angiostrongylus (Nematoda: Angiostrongylidae) have been reported around the world, 15 of which are parasites of rodents. In this study, new host, geographic records, and histopathologic studies of Angiostrongylus spp in sigmodontine rodents from Argentina, with an updated summary of records from rodent hosts and host specificity assessment, are provided. Records of Angiostrongylus costaricensis from Akodon montensis andAngiostrongylus morerai from six new hosts and geographical localities in Argentina are reported. The gross and histopathologic changes in the lungs of the host species due to angiostrongylosis are described. Published records of the genus Angiostrongylus from rodents and patterns of host specificity are presented. Individual Angiostrongylusspecies parasitise between one-19 different host species. The most frequent values of the specificity index (STD) were between 1-5.97. The elevated number of host species (n = 7) of A. morerai with a STD = 1.86 is a reflection of multiple systematic studies of parasites from sigmodontine rodents in the area of Cuenca del Plata, Argentina, showing that an increase in sampling effort can result in new findings. The combination of low host specificity and a wide geographic distribution of Angiostrongylus spp indicates a troubling epidemiological scenario although, as yet, no human cases have been reported.

Parásitos gastrointestinales en pingüino de Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti) y pingüino de Magallanes (Spheniscus magellanicus) en las costas del centro y centro sur de Chile / Gastrointestinal parasites in humboldt’s penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) and Magellanian penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) in coasts from central and south-central Chile

A través de necropsias parasitarias realizadas a 12 pingüinos provenientes del litoral del centro y centro sur de Chile, se aislaron los helmintos Tetrabothrius lutzi, T. eudyptidis, Cardio-cephaloidesphysalis, Contracaecumpelagicum, C. heardi y Ascaridia sp. en pingüino de Magallanes y ejemplares de T. eudyptidis y Contracaecum pelagicum en pingüino de Humboldt. Las especies T. eudyptidis, C. pelagicum y C. heardi representan nuevos registros para Chile. Las especies C. physalis y Ascaridia sp. constituyen nuevas especies parásitas para el pingüino de Magallanes. Los presentes resultados son discutidos.

Twelve parasitic necropsies were performed on penguins from coast of Central and South Central Chile, yielding helminths Tetrabothrius lutzi, T. eudyptidis, Cardiocephaloides physalis, Contracaecum pelagicum, C. heardi andAscaridia sp. in magellanian penguin, and T. eudyptidis, C. physalis and Contracaecum pelagicum in humboldt 's penguin. New records were found of T. eudyptidis, C. pelagicum and C. heardi in Chile. C. physalis andAscaridia sp. represent new parasitic species in the magellanic penguin.

Helminth parasites in six species of shorebirds (Charadrii) from the Coast of Belize

Thirteen species of helminth parasites were recovered from six species of charadriid shorebirds (Aves: Charadriiformes) from Belize: the ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres, the snowy plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, the semipalmated plover, C. semipalmatus, the killdeer, C. vociferus, the white-rumped sandpiper, Calidris fuscicollis, and the black-bellied plover, Pluvialis squatarola. Cestode species were predominant (N = 8), followed by trematode species (N = 3) and acanthocephala (N = 2). The trematode, Paramaritremopsis solielangi infected four of the six species of hosts. The cestodes, Nadejdolepis litoralis and N. paranitidulans infected three and two host species respectively. Helminth parasite species were contagious (clumped) and not evenly distributed among hosts. Twelve of the 13 species were generalists. The one specialist Microphallus kinsellae was recovered from one C. fuscicollis. Three of the four types of feeding guilds were present and in approximately the same number. All but M. kinsellae have been reported from other species of hosts, mostly from Eurasia and North America