A class of distributions applicable to the description of the number of nematodes parasitizing birds.

We define the class of bivariate binomial distributions as Poisson distributions transformed by a binomial dilution and mixing with a gamma distribution. They are used to study the number of nematodes, considering the sex ratio, parasitizing birds.

Parasite infections in laboratory mice colonies.

Problems dealing with common parasites--oxyurids, which affect laboratory mice colonies are discussed and reviewed. Their life histories, pathogenicity and immunity are examined. The attention is paid to the influence of age, sex, strain and status of the host in the infection. It is agreed that helminth infections are usually more severe in male than in female vertebrate hosts.

Ascarid nematodes in domestic and wild terrestrial mammals.

The biology of the ascarid nematodes has been discussed in the context of their important economic role in farm animals, pet animals and zoo animals with special attention to carnivores and primates. In farm animals, infection with the most common roundworm of horses (Parascaris equorum) and swine (Ascaris suum) depend on many factors such as environmental conditions (larval development in the egg and egg survival), age of the host, breed, husbandry system, hygiene and treatment schedule. The monoxenic ascarids Toxocara canis and T. cati are the most important nematodes in carnivorous animals (dogs, cats, foxes) and carnivores in the zoo. In the period of March 2000 till March 2001, 57.1% of examined representatives of Felidae, Ursidae and Canidae in the Zoological Garden of Wroclaw were found to be infected with ascarids (T. canis, T. cati, Toxascaris leonina). The prevalence of T. canis in the Canidae was 66.7%, of T. cati in the Felidae was 14.3%, while 57.1% of the Felidae carried T. leonina infection. Ascaris lumbricoides, a typical parasite of primates, was found in some gorillas, chimpanzees and orang-utans during parasitological survey.

[Immune response of jackdaw (Corvus monedula) to antigens of Capillaria resecta (Nematoda)-western blotting analysis]. / Odpowiedz immunologiczna kawki (Corvus monedula) przeciwko antygenom nicienia Capillaria resecta--technika western blotting.

Biotinylated surface and somatic protein extracts of the nematode Capillaria resecta were analysed by SDS-PAGE followed by Western blotting in order to examine their antigenic character. The antigens were probing with serum of C. resecta naturally infected birds (jackdaws). Surface and somatic antigens were recognised by serum IgG, IgA and IgM antibodies. The most intense reactivity of sera was evident with TBS-soluble surface proteins. The present paper has shown that surface proteins of C. resecta are more immunogenic than somatic and they are able to elicit stronger immune response in the bird's body.

[Taeniosis in the lower Silesia province in the 1993 - 1997 years]. / Tasiemczyce w województwie dolnoslaskim w latach 1993 - 1997.

This paper is the result of investigations of taeniosis in inhabitants of four former provinces of the Lower Silesia area in the 1993 - 1997 years. Analysis of frequency taneniosis (according to place of living and sex) confirmed clearly the decrease of tendency of thisparasitosis.

[New/old opinions on the systematics and phylogenesis of the nematodes, with the special regard to Ascaridida, Ascaridoidea]. / Nowe/stare poglady na systematyke i filogeneze nicieni (Nematoda), ze szczególnym uwzglednieniem Ascaridida, Ascaridoidea.

Traditional classification of the nematodes, based on morphological-ecological characters was evaluated in the context of molecular analysis of systematic taxons, with special regards to ascarids. Division of superfamily Ascaridoidea into 4 families (Heterocheilidae, Ascarididae, Anisakidae, Raphidascarididae) proposed by Fagerhholm (1991) seems to be proved by the molecular data of Nadler (1992, 1995) and Nadler & Hudspeth (1998).

Scabies and head-lice infestations in different environmental conditions of Lower Silesia, Poland.

A comparison of external parasitic infestations among inhabitants of Legnica, Walbrzych, and Wroclaw districts, in the Lower Silesia region of Poland showed a direct relationship between the high incidence of scabies and low standard ecological indices, as well as social economic setting of the communities. In the years 1990-1997, the highest mean incidences of scabies per 100,000 people (80 and 46) were noted, respectively, in the Legnica and Walbrzych districts, compared to only 7.9 in the Wroclaw district. Infestation was correlated with percentages of the population with higher education (4.8; 4.2, 10.1, respectively) and the number of patients per physician (795, 632, 288, respectively), and the percentages of degraded land/and land threatened by degradation (10/37, 5/16, 0.7/10, respectively), forest stands damaged by gases and particulates (99.4, 99.4, 58.8, respectively), and air pollution emission indices in the towns of Legnica and Walbrzych (30 and 21 tons/km2) and Wroclaw (16). Scabies infestation was highest in children and teenagers (0-19) and was gender-associated (in all age groups, women were more often infested than men). A decreasing rate of scabies infestation, especially from the mid-1990s, was noted for both scabies and pediculosis in Walbrzych district; in the 0-19-yr-old inhabitants, it varied from 0.75% in 1994 to 0.41% in 1996.

[Intestinal parasites in inhabitants of Wroclaw and Walbrzych]. / Pasozyty jelitowe u mieszkanców Wroclawia i Walbrzycha.

In the period 1990-1997 several thousand patients from Wroclaw and Walbrzych hospitals as well as inhabitants of Wroclaw city were examined for intestinal parasites. The presence of parasites was noted in 12.3% of 2173 patients from the District Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Wroclaw, 3.2% of 599 from Walbrzych Hospital and 39.3% (mostly Enterobius vermicularis) of 746 ambulatory examined persons in the Private Analytical Laboratory in Wroclaw. Among the intestinal protozoa the most frequent was Giardia intestinalis (from 5.7 to 18.1%) and Entamoeba coli (0.5-0.6%); the remaining amoebas (E. histolytica, E. hartmanni, E. polecki and Endolimax nana) as well as Chilomonas mesnili was present only in single cases. Enterobiosis was observed in nearly half of the total number of examined children (1808); the most rarely found helminths were Opisorchis felineus (! Adult patient), Strongyloides stercoralis (2) and Trichuris trichiura (8); Taenia saginata was found in 56 patients, which constituted 1.6% of the total number of examined cases and Ascaris lumbricoides in 40 (1.2%).

[Toxocara canis (Nematoda) and toxocariasis of animals and humans]. / Toxocara canis (Nematoda) oraz toksokarozy zwierzat i czlowieka.

Some aspects of dog toxocarosis and syndrome of visceral larva migrans in human toxocarosis, particularly in children were presented. In detail the morphological characters and biology of Toxocara canis, its pathogenicity, ways of invasions as well as conditions favouring the spreading of parasites were discussed. Attention was paid to the efficacy of diagnosis of invasions, treatment and prophylaxis. The current toxocarosis threat was analysed and epidemiological prognosis was moved forward.

Estimation of distribution parameters of some avian parasites.

Occurrence of nematodes (mostly dominating and common species of Porrocaecum ensicaudatum and P. semiteres) in host populations of birds (Turdus merula, T. philomelos, Sturnus vulgaris and Scolopax rusticola) was summarized in frequency distributions, and tests of agreement with the Poisson model as well as the modified binomial have been computed. Comparisons of the observed frequencies with the expected ones showed the high values (3--257) of the coefficient of dispersion, the so-called "overdispersion", characteristic for the negative binomial which is an extension of the Poisson model. A nearly perfect fitness of the counted (observed) with the expected frequencies was found for S. vulgaris both in the analysis of nematode metapopulation and their common species of P. ensicaudatum. Some deviations from the expectations were found for tracing of all nematode species distributions in T. merula, T. philomelos. On the other hand, the same model (negative binomial distribution according to moment method) has fitted quite well to each for common or dominating nematode species.

[Taeniasis in Wroclaw and Czestochowa provinces]. / Tasiemczyce w województwie Wroclawskim i Czestochowskim.

On the basis of control cards of taeniosis collected in the Sanitary Epidemiological Stations the comparison of the infectivity in 1980-1994 was carried out. Standard parameters environment (town, village), sex and age groups as well as morbidity rates/100,000 inhabitants were taken into consideration. Since 1980 the number of registered cases was reduced from 21.2 in Wroclaw urban populations and 15.5 in rural population as well as 6.3 in Czestochowa urban populations and 2.9 in rural population to 5.0 and 3.3 as well as 1.1 and 0.9, respectively in 1994. More frequent occurrences of taeniosis (6.7 mean morbidity) in Wroclaw than in Czestochowa province (1.4) were noted.

[Biological monitoring with regard to parasites]. / Biologiczny monitoring z uwzglednieniem pasozytów.

The paper deals with the discussion on the sozological aspects of parasitology in the context of environmental monitoring, particularly the role of parasites as indicators of environmental quality bio-assessment. Parasites and parasitological rules are also suspected to have great weight with the study of biology, ecology and evolutionary relations between hosts in different ecosystems. It can be done by tracing the changes among host-parasite relationships and investigations of host and biotope condition.

[Development of parasitism in Nematoda and formation of host-parasite relationships]. / Powstawanie pasozytnictwa u nicieni i kszataltowanie sie ukladów pasozyt-zywiciel.

Nowadays the developmental process of parasitism within the nematodes of animals and plants also takes place. Rhabditida group coming from the soil saprophytic forms is an example of such evolutionary process in statu nascendi. The conditions and ways towards the close relationships between two organisms, leading from the commensalism and facultative parasitism to the obligatory one have been presented.

Nematoda fauna of some charadriiformes from Czech Republic (region Brno).

Examination of 10 bird species of the family Charadriidae have revealed the following nematode species: Strongyloides turkmenicus, Syngamus palustris, S. trachea, Porrocaecum semiteres, Tetrameres dubia, Eucoleus contortus and Capillaria sp. Three of them: S. turkmenicus, S. palustris and T. dubia parasitizing those hosts were found the first time in Czechoslovakia. Tringa glareola was found a new host for S. palustris.

[Effect of environmental conditions on parasitic infection of dogs]. / Wplyw warunków srodowiskowych na zarobaczenie psów.

The following intestinal parasites: Dipylidium caninum, Taenia hydatigena, Trichocephalus vulpis, Ancylostoma caninum, Uncinaria stenocephala, Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, Ascaris sp. have been found on the basis of coprological investigations of 120 dogs from the Wroclow shelter, 20 dogs from Wroclow flats and 20 dogs from rural area of Kielce district. Total extensity of infection of rural dogs was 100% and 40-48% in town. These differences, according to the authors, are connected with different breeding conditions as well as with the specific contacts of investigated animals with others in various environments in Poland.

[Parasitic nematodes of birds from the Sikor family (Paridae) in Poland]. / Pasozytnicze nicienie sikor (Paridae) w Polsce.

Among 218 birds, belonging to 6 species of Paridae only in Parus major three species of Nematoda were detected: Capillaria tridens, Cardiofilaria pavlovskyi and Diplotriaena henryi. A detailed description of the morphology is given for Capilaria tridens. It is a new one for Parus major as well as for the Paridae in the Palearctic region.

[Turdus merula L. as a proper host of Capillaria ovopunctata (Nematoda, Capillariidae)]. / Turdus merula L. wlasciwym zywicielem Capillaria ovopunctata (Nematoda: Capillariidae).

Biometrical analysis of four morphometric characters of male and female specimens of Capillaria ovopunctata parasitizing in Sturnus vulgaris, Erithacus rubecula, Turdus philomelos and Turdus merula, i.e. length of body, oesophagus, number of stichocytes or length of spicula and vulvar appendage respectively was carried out. It has been proved, that characters of females C. ovopunctata parasitizing in T. merula significantly differ from those of the nematodes found in other hosts. The present and previous author's results on high extensiveness and intensity of invasion allow to state that T. merula is a proper host for C. ovopunctata.

[Nematoda of the gastrointestinal system of Gavia stellata and Gavia arctica (Gaviidae)]. / Nicienie przewodu pokarmowego u Gavia stellata i Gavia arctica (Gaviidae).

Four species of Nematoda: Capillaria mergi, Contracaecum rudolphii, Paracuaria tridentata, Stegophorus stellaepolaris were detected for the first time in Poland in two red-throated divers (G. stellata). Species P. tridentata and S. stellaepolaris appeared to be new for the Polish fauna. In turn black-throated diver (G. arctica) is a new host to C. mergi.