Nota sobre algunos helmintos para el Perú / Note about some helmintes for Peru

Se da conocer por primera vez en el Perú, la presencia de algunos helmintos. Cestoda: Ophiotaenia calmetti (Barros, 1858) La Rue, 1911. Trematoda: Athesmia heterolecithoides (Braun, 1899) Looss, 1899; Nematoda: Molineus nasuae Lent & Freitas, 1938; Uncinaria stenocephala (Railliet, 1884) Railliet, 1885; Uncinaria sp. y Hastospiculum onchocercum Chiwood, 1932

A comparative study of the protein content of some helminths and the suitability of assay methods.

The protein content of fresh homogenates and their corresponding TCA precipitated fractions of 10 different species of helminths was estimated by the methods of Lowry et al. and Spector using the Folin phenol reagent and Coomassie brilliant blue G-250 respectively. The former method gives exaggerated values as compared to the latter method. The parasite phenols, phenolic proteins and catecholamines could be responsible for interference in the Lowry's procedure. The TCA noln-precipitable moieties also give colour only with the Folin phenol assay. The pronounced intra-specific differences in the total protein content of helminths reflect their metabolic variations and adaptations. Habitat does not appear to influence the protein content of parasites, however, the effect of host variation was evident in the pouched amphistome G. crumenifer. It is concluded that the dye binding method gives more consistent results and it can be conveniently applied to crude tissue homogenates of helminths.

Effect of host feeding and available glucose on glycogen synthase and phosphorylase activities in Hymenolepis diminuta and Vampirolepis microstoma.

The influences of host feeding and the availability of glucose in vitro on the activities of glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase in Hymenolepis diminuta and in Vampirolepis microstoma were studied. The worms were recovered from hosts that had been fed ad libitum, starved for 24 hr, or starved 24 hr and then refed for 1 hr immediately prior to worm recovery. The ratios of active to inactive glycogen synthase and phosphorylase were correlated with the host feeding regimen prior to recovery. Glycogen synthase in H. diminuta was predominately in the inactive D form in worms from both fed and fasted hosts. One hour after refeeding, up to 80% of the synthase was in the active I form. Phosphorylase in H. diminuta was predominantly in the active a form in worms from fed and fasted hosts, but activity of this enzyme was suppressed in worms from refed hosts. When H. diminuta from fasted hosts was incubated in a balanced salt solution containing 40 mM glucose, glycogen synthase I increased, and phosphorylase a decreased. Glycogen synthase in V. microstoma was predominantly in the inactive D form in worms from both the fed and fasted hosts, but the proportion in the active I form increased to over half the total synthase by 1 hr of host refeeding. The proportion of glycogen phosphorylase a was high in worms from fed hosts and decreased, but not dramatically, in worms from fasted hosts. The results suggested that the worms had access to another source of glucose, probably from the host bile, and we measured a low but significant concentration of carbohydrate in the gall bladder bile of mice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Selective distribution of sugars on the tegumental surface of adult Bothriocephalus gregarius (Cestoda: Pseudophyllidea).

Whole specimens and histological and semi-thin sections of Bothriocephalus gregarius adults were exposed to lectins to identify carbohydrates present in the tegument and parenchyma. The sugars N-acetyl glucosamine, N-acetyl galactosamine, galactose, glucose (or mannose) and fucose were detected in the cestode using eight lectins: WGA (Wheat germ agglutinin), HPA (Helix pomatia agglutinin), SBA (Soy bean agglutinin), PHA (Phaseolus vulgaris agglutinin), RCA60 and RCA120 (Ricinus communis toxin and agglutinin), ConA (Concanavalin agglutinin) and UEA-I (Ulex europaeus agglutinin). Combined use of these methodological approaches (whole specimens, paraffin and semi-thin sections) revealed the presence of a gradient in the distribution of most of the sugars over the tegument, with the highest concentrations on the strobila (as shown by most of the lectins). Other sugars were specific for the scolex or strobila (as shown by UEA-I or HPA, respectively). The ultrastructural study showed that the distribution of glycoconjugates was associated with the presence of specific tegumental coats. The significance of this selective distribution and its relevance to cestode physiology and host-parasite relationships are discussed.

Peptidergic nerve elements in three developmental stages of the tetraphyllidean tapeworm Trilocularia acanthiaevulgaris. An immunocytochemical study.

The localization and distribution of seven neuropeptides in the nervous system of the plerocercoid, adult and free proglottis stages of the tetraphyllidean tapeworm Trilocularia acanthiaevulgaris have been determined by an indirect immunofluorescence technique. Six of the peptides are vertebrate-derived, namely, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI), substance P (SP) and somatostatin (SRIF); the seventh is the invertebrate neuropeptide, FMR Famide. This is the first demonstration of VIP and SP immunoreactivity in a cestode parasite, and for SRIF this is its first description in any parasitic platyhelminth. Cell bodies and nerve fibres immunoreactive to PP, PYY, VIP, SP and FMRFamide are present throughout the CNS; the distributions of PHI and SRIF were more restricted. In the PNS, nerve fibres immunoreactive to PP occur in the bothridia, whilst in the free proglottis nerve fibres immunoreactive to PYY and VIP innervate the gonads; VIP-immunoreactive nerve elements also supply the reproductive ducts. Extra-neuronal sitings of peptide immunoreactivities were evident for PHI, in association with the excretory system, and for SRIF, in presumed tegumental cell bodies in the free proglottis. The results are discussed in relation to the possible roles of the peptides in the neurophysiology and developmental biology of the worm.

Distribution of zinc in parasitic helminths.

The distribution of zinc in representative groups of parasitic helminths was determined by the use of the atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results of these analyses have shown that growing flukes (smaller forms) with active oogenesis and spermatogenesis contained more zinc than old (large) or very old adults with an empty uterus and large lobulated testes. In cestodes, the neck region and immature proglottids showed more zinc concentration than mature and gravid proglottids and fully grown cyst walls. Similarly, the youngest endogenous daughter cysts of Echinococcus granulosus contained more zinc in their walls than those of larger/older forms. Zinc was concentrated more in nematode eggs than in adult females.

Leukocyte accumulation in sparganosis: further characterization of an eosinophil chemotactic factor of the plerocercoid of Spirometra erinacei.

An eosinophil chemotactic (ECF) was partially purified from plerocercoids of Spirometra erinacei by a combination of anion-exchange chromatography on DE52 and gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200. The molecular weight of ECF was estimated to be 25,000-45,000 by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The ECF was bound with concanavalin A-Sepharose. The ECF was sensitive to periodate oxidation and to heating (56 degrees C, 30 min). On isoelectric focusing, eosinophil chemotactic activity was clearly revealed at pI 4.1. These results suggest that ECF of S. erinacei plerocercoid is an acidic glycoprotein. An intradermal injection of ECF eosinophil attractions in the normal guinea pig skin.

In vitro insulin-like actions of the growth factor from the tapeworm, Spirometra mansonoides.

In vitro actions of purified plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) were compared with those of insulin and human growth hormone (hGH) in adipose tissue from normal male rats. Insulin-like effects were measured by the ability of PGF, insulin, or hGH to stimulate oxidation of [U-14C]glucose to 14CO2, to stimulate lipogenesis, and to inhibit epinephrine-induced lipolysis. PGF and insulin stimulated significant increases in glucose oxidation and lipogenesis in adipose tissue that had not been preincubated as well as in tissue that had been preincubated. hGH stimulated insulin-like effects only in tissue that had been preincubated for 3 hr. Insulin, hGH, and PGF inhibited epinephrine-induced lipolysis of preincubated (3 hr) adipose tissue. hGH produced a dramatic lipolytic response in tissue freshly removed from normal rats but no dose of PGF was lipolytic. PGF did not displace 125I-insulin from its receptors on adipocytes but did competitively inhibit 125I-hGH binding to adipocytes. These results suggest that PGF has direct insulin-like actions which are initiated by binding a GH receptor, but PGF had no anti-insulin action and the insulin-like activity of PGF was unaffected by refractoriness of adipose tissue to GH.

Significance of the distribution of 57Co-vitamin B12 in Spirometra mansonoides (Cestoidea) during growth and differentiation in mammalian intermediate and definitive hosts.

The distribution of labeled cyanocobalamin (CN-[57Co]Cbl = [57Co]-vitamin B12) in pleurocercoids and adult tapeworms of Spirometra mansonoides was studied during development in mice 22 days days PI, respectively. Plerocercoid scolices, obtained by cutting away their bodies or by in vitro enzymatic dissolution of the bodies, were pulsed with CN- magnitude of 57Co Cbl for 1h at 37 degrees C and reimplanted subcutaneously into mice or given per os to cats. In regenerated plerocercoids, the highest concentration of magnitude of 57Co Cbl occurred in the scolex and then decreased posteriorly in the newly-formed tissues of the body. Approximately 60% of the total magnitude of 57Co Cbl present remained concentrated in the scolex following body regeneration plerocercoids and adult tapeworms of Spirometra mansonoides was studied during development in mice 22 days post-infection (PI) and in cats 16 days PI, respectively. Plerocercoid scolices, obtained by cutting away their bodies or by in vitro enzymatic dissolution of the bodies, were pulsed with CN-[57Co]Cbl for 1 h at 37 degrees C and reimplanted subcutaneously into mice or given per os to cats. In regenerated plerocercoids, the highest concentration of [57Co]Cbl occurred in the scolex and then decreased posteriorly in the newly-formed tissues of the body. Approximately 60% of the total [57Co]Cbl present remained concentrated in the scolex following body regeneration for up to 109 days PI. This high [57Co]Cbl concentration in the plerocercoid scolex was bound to protein and appears to be maintained by a complex homeostatic mechanism in association with directional transport of [57Co]Cbl to the scolex with ultimate depletion along the length of the body.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Observations on the lipids of Oochoristica agamae (Cestoda).

An investigation of the lipids of Oochoristica agamae, an anoplocephalid cestode of the Agama lizard, was undertaken. Total lipids of the parasite accounted for 8.4% of the fresh weight; neutral lipids comprised 82.98% of the total, glycolipids, 5.01%, and phospholipids, 12.03%. The major lipid classes in O. agamae include triglycerides, cholesterol, phosphatidyl choline, and phosphatidyl ethanolamine. The 16- and 18-carbon fatty acids were predominant in the parasite. Hexadecenoic acid, usually found at low concentrations in the lipids of helminth parasites, was the most abundant of the 16-carbon fatty acids of O. agamae (notably in the neutral lipid fraction). Although octadecatrienoic acid occurred only in trace amounts in the intestinal contents of the host, significant amounts of this fatty acid were detected in the parasite. A lack of 20-carbon fatty acids was determined in the lipids of the host's intestinal contents and the neutral lipid fraction of the parasite. O. agamae is suspected to be capable of modifying fatty acids obtained from dietary sources by chain elongation.

Speciation of cestoda. Evidence for two sibling species in the complex Bothrimonus nylandicus (Schneider 1902) (Cestoda: Cyathocephalidea).

Using biochemical genetic methods, we have distinguished 2 sibling species in the complex Bothrimonus nylandicus (Schneider, 1902), which infest 2 congeneric species of sole (Solea lascaris and Solea impar) on European coasts (Atlantic and Mediterranean). Neither of the parasite species is specific for either of the sole species, but one of them is present all year round, whereas the other is absent in the autumn and winter and only appears in the spring, subsequently disappearing at the end of the summer. Only S. impar lives in the Mediterranean, and is equally infested by both cestodes, whereas both species occur in the Atlantic and each of them is preferentially infested by 1 species of cestode. The shortness of the adult stage of the parasite in the definitive host and the presence of 2 life-cycles associated with competition between the 2 hosts in the Atlantic could be responsible for the biological differences observed and for maintaining the sibling species in sympatry.

Use of receptor affinity chromatography in purification of the growth hormone-like factor produced by plerocercoids of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides.

The plerocercoid stage of the tapeworm Spirometra mansonoides produces a functional analog of human growth hormone (hGH). Among the similarities between plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) and hGH is competition for the same receptors on rabbit liver membranes. To take advantage of this characteristic in a purification scheme for PGF, rabbit liver microsomes were solubilized in Triton X-100 and the hGH receptors were purified over an hGH affinity column. The purified receptors from six rabbit livers were coupled to Affi-Gel-10 to create a receptor affinity column which was used to purify PGF. Chromatography of crude PGF over the receptor column resulted in a 1044 fold increase in specific activity. SDS-PAGE in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol showed that the affinity-purified PGF contained three protein bands with apparent Mrs of 27.5 K, 22 K, and 16.7 K. Injections of the partially-purified PGF into hypophysectomized rats produced a dose-dependent growth response and 400 ng eq of PGF each day for 10 days stimulated a growth response not significantly different from that produced by 250 micrograms of bovine GH each day. Receptor affinity chromatography was an effective method to purify small amounts of PGF in a single step with negligible loss of biological activity.

Tegument galactosylceramides of the cestode Spirometra mansonoides.

The brush border-like surface of the tegument of the adult and the plerocercoid larva of a pseudophyllidean cestode, Spirometra mansonoides, has been shown to contain hydroxylated galactosylceramides. D-Galactosyl-N-(2-D-hydroxyoctadecanoyl)-D-phytosphingosine, D-galactosyl-N-(2-D-hydroxyoctadecanoyl)-D-dihydrosphingosine and D-galactosyl-N-(octadecanoyl)-D-phytosphingosine were identified as major glycosphingolipids in a tegumental plasma membrane fraction with associated microtriches, by combinations of chromatography (column, high performance thin-layer, gas-liquid), mass spectrometry (electron impact, field desorption, fast atom bombardment, collisionally induced decomposition) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. Galactosylceramides with hydroxylated long chain bases and fatty acids are known to occur in some eukaryotic microbes and in cells of vertebrate tissues exposed to plasma membrane destabilizing environments. This has led to a proposal that the capacity of hydroxylated ceramide moieties for intermolecular hydrogen bonding among themselves and with phosphoglycerides acts to stabilize the plasma membrane. Saturated fatty acyl groups in the ceramides would enhance stabilization by their orderly packing in the lipid bilayer. Consequently, the presence of such hydroxylated galactosylceramides in the tegument surface of S. mansonoides may contribute to the maintenance of its normal barrier properties in the face of the varied environmental insults encountered by the cestode in its life-cycle.

Comparative analysis of amino acids of three species of gangesia (Cestoda: Proteocephalata).

A total of 21 amino acids were detected in the present investigations on three species of Gangesia (Cestoda: Proteocephalata) viz. G. bengalensis Woodland, 1924, G. hanumanthai Seth & Capoor, 1982 and G sanehensis Malhotra et al., 1981. The study was conducted in a sub-humid region around Allahabad, India. The implications of amino acid utilization in metabolic activities of fish tapeworms have been discussed.

Chemotaxonomy of Pseudophyllidean cestodes: II. Amino acids of Bothriocephalus teleostei (Malhotra) from Indian hill - stream teleosts

Doce amino ácidos de Bothriocephalus teleostei (Malhotra, 1984) se describen utilizando la técnica de la cromatofotografía. También se describen las diferencias de concentración y distribución de amino ácidos en cestodes Pseudophyllidea, Tetraphyllides, Trypanorhyncha y Cyclophyllidea

Comparative studies on the morphology, histology, and histochemistry of metacestodes (Hymenolepididae, Dilepididae and Dipylidiidae).

Histological and histochemical methods were used for the studies on 12 species of metacestodes of the genera Coronacanthus, Diorchis, Diplopylidium, Fimbriaria, Hymenolepis, Microsomacanthus, Rodentotaenia, and Triodontolepis. Two basic types of larvae, cysticercoid and cercoscolex, were found. The cyst structure is identical or similar in the cysticercoids using the same group of intermediate hosts (gammarus, planktonic crustaceans, coprophagous beetles, and terrestrial snails). The morphological structure of scolex and neck is the same as in adult cestodes. The length and number of hooks are definitive in morphologically differentiated metacestodes, while the scolex, rostellum and suckers grow still inside the definitive host. The excretory canals open separately at the end of neck in the cysticercoids and in a common opening at the body end of larva in the cercoscolex. Calcareous corpuscles are smaller and more numerous in the scolex and neck than in the cyst wall. Acid mucosubstances prevail in the tissues at the early stages of development. In morphologically differentiated metacestodes, the amount of neutral mucosubstances and glycogen increases. In ageing larvae, the amount of neutral mucosubstances and glycogen gradually decreases and later also decreases the amount of acid mucosubstances, proteins and lipids.

The structure, composition, formation and possible functions of calcareous corpuscles in Trilocularia acanthiaevulgaris Olsson 1867 (Cestoda, Tetraphyllidea).

Mature calcareous corpuscles in the juvenile (stomach) worms of Trilocularia acanthiaevulgaris comprise a number of concentric lamellae interspersed with areas of flocculent material. Each lamella is composed of a pair of membranous rings to which amorphous, non-crystalline material is attached. The process of corpuscle formation is intracellular, beginning with the autophagic break-down of the cytoplasm to produce a central vacuole within a parenchymal cell. The vacuole enlarges until only a thin layer of cytoplasm remains at the periphery and the nucleus is displaced to one end of the cell. Paired, concentrically arranged membranes are laid down beneath the peripheral cytoplasmic layer and eventually occlude the central vacuole. X-ray analysis of the corpuscles indicates the presence of calcium, phosphorus, sulphur, zinc and molybdenum, with the major peaks representing calcium, phosphorus and sulphur. Calcium appears to be bound to the lamellae rather than associated with the material between lamellae. The possible functions of the corpuscles are discussed in relation to the biology of T. acanthiaevulgaris and its developmental sequence in the dogfish gut.

Chemical nature and mode of stabilization of eggshell/capsule of some cyclophyllidean cestodes.

The chemical nature and mode of stabilization of the eggshell/capsule of Moniezia expansa, Avitellina lahorea and Stilesia globipunctata have been investigated using histochemical techniques. In M. expansa where vitelline glands are present, the eggshell is stabilized by -S-S and -S-H linkages whereas in A. lahorea and S. globipunctata, the vitelline glands are absent and the double membranes, fibrous capsule and paruterine organ contain mainly elastokeratin-type structural protein. The possible role of the vitellaria in the presence or absence of eggshell and its thickness is discussed.

[Identification of species of Diplogonoporus balaenopterae and D. grandis (Cestoda, Diphyllobothriidae)]. / Ob identifikatsii vidov Diplogonoporus balaenopterae i D. grandis (Cestoda, Diphyllobothriidae).

Comparative study of diplogonadal diphillobothriids from different species of whalebone whales and from man (Japan) and analysis of literary data has made it possible to establish their identity. Only the species Diplogonoporus balaenopterae (Lönnberg, 1892 capable of infecting whalebone whales, dogs and man can be regarded as really existing. The species D. grandis (Blanchard, 1894) Lühe, 1899 is its synonym.