New records of digenean flukes (Trematoda) in birds in Poland.

Eleven new records of digenean species are reported in birds in Poland, i.e. Tylodelphys immer found in Gavia stellata, Strigea vanderbrokae in Pernis apivorus, Echinostoma academica in Numenius arquata, Echinochasmus euryporus in Buteo buteo, Patagifer parvispinosus and Petasiger grandivesicularis in Tachybaptus ruficollis, Notocotyloides petasatus in Calidris alpina, Plagiorchis arcuatus in Corvus cornix, Leyogonimus polyoon in Gallinula chloropus and Fulica atra, Lyperosomum alaudae in Sylvia atricapilla and Alauda arvenis, and Collyricloides massanae in Turdus merula. The latter finding constitutes a new host record (globally).

[New hosts of some nematodes--parasites of Passeriformes]. / Nowi zywiciele niektórych nicieni--pasozytów ptaków wróblowych (Passeriformes).

Parasitic nematodes very rarely exist in birds that are completely or predominantly herbivorous. The investigation of the helminth fauna of Passeriformes in the region of Lower Silesia revealed new hosts for some nematode species. We found in Acrocephalus scirpaceus--Acuaria subula and Microtetrameres inermis; in Fringilla coelebs and in Luscinia megarhynchos--Dispharynx nasuta; in Passer montanus--Capillaria angusta; in Phylloscopus trochiloides--Acuaria subula as well in Phylloscopus collybita--Microtetrameres sp. These nematodes have not been so far reported from these bird species.

A new dicrocoeliid from the bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus (Rodentia: Microtidae) from Poland.

A new dicrocoeliid trematode, Brachylecithum glareoli n. sp., is described from the biliary ducts of the bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus, in southwest Poland. This is the first dicrocoeliid species described in rodents from Poland. It is characterized mainly by the maximum body width at the level of the vitellaria; large, longitudinally oval testes; round, or transversely oval, ovary that is smaller than the testes; vitellaria located in the midbody; cirrus sac dorsally overlapping ventral sucker, but never reaching beyond half of its length; and large, distinctly elongated eggs.

[Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) as reservoir of parasites and source of zoonosis]. / Lis rudy (Vulpes vulpes) jako rezerwuar pasozytów i zródlo zoonoz.

Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) as reservoir of parasites and source of zoonosis. This review presents data from Europe and Poland on the prevalence of helminth and protozoan parasites in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). The most common nematodes were geohelminths: Uncinaria stenocephala, Toxocara canis and Toxocara leonina. As concerning Trichinella genus T. britovi was found more often than T. spiralis. Among tapeworms the following species were recorded: Mesocestoides lineatus, Taenia sp., and Echinococcus multilocularis. Detected cases of E. multilocularis together with an increase of fox population during last few years create a potential human risk of infection. The results of many studies indicate rare presence of trematodes (Alaria alata) and protozoan parasites (Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum, Leishmania spp., Eimeria spp.) in red foxes.

[Calodium hepaticum (Bancroft, 1893) Moravec, 1982--capillaria with an atypical life cycle]. / Calodium hepaticum (Bancroft, 1893) Moravec, 1982--kapilaria o nietypowym cyklu rozwojowym.

Calodium hepaticum (Bancroft, 1893)--commonly known as Capillaria hepatica is a nematode parasitising in liver of rodents, some domestic and wild mammals: Insectivora, Carnivora, Artiodactyla and Primates including human as well. C. hepaticum is the only nematode--geohelminth, which for the continuity of the life cycle needs the death of the host being the intermediate and final host at the same time. The eggs of the parasite deposited by female worms in liver of the host became entrapped in fibrotic tissue. C. hepaticum is a cosmopolitic nematode. Rats and mice (domestic and field) are the main hosts of this parasite, the prevalence of infection can be very high e.g. Rattus norvegicus--100% in the Baltimore Zoo (Farhang-Azad 1977) as well as from the urban area of Milan (Italy)--the prevalence of infection was 36% (Ceruti et al. 2001). Hepatic capillariasis was not recorded in our country but its existence seems to be very probable.