Diphyllobothrium Research Articles

Seasonal incidence and development of the cestodeCaryophyllaeus laticeps(Pallas) in the River Avon

An account is given of the seasonal occurrence, maturation and population changes ofCaryophyllaeus laticepsin its intermediate hostPsammoryctes barbatusand in its definitive hostLeuciscus leuciscusin the River Avon. Infective larvae were found in the tubificid in all months except August, but occurrence and maturation ofC. laticepsin fish showed a clear seasonal periodicity. Infections were acquired between December and March, the parasite matured in April and May and disappeared by July. Maturation ofC. laticepsappeared to be governed by changes in fish hormone levels. Changes in the parasite population in fish bore no relationship to the availability of infective larvae nor probably to the feeding behaviour of fish but were closely correlated with water temperature changes. The most important factor controlling the dynamics of theC. laticeps–dacesystem appears to be a temperature dependent rejection response to the parasites by dace, and it is suggested that a similar mechanism may operate to control the dynamics of other freshwater fish–tapeworm systems.I should like to thank the Avon and Dorset River Authority, and in particular Mr A. S. Grater, for their help in capturing the fish and for their ready co-operation.

Binding of 60 Co-Vitamin B 12 by Ascaris suum Intestine

Ascaris suum intestine absorbs 6?Co-vitamin Bi2 mainly in the anterior 3 cm although there is lesser absorption along much of the intestinal length. Of the total radioactive Bi2 absorbed by the intestine, about 48% is bound and cannot be removed by dialysis. Dialyzed homogenates of intestines containing only bound vitamin were filtered to remove cellular debris and then treated with sulfosalicylic acid to precipitate proteins other than glycoor mucoproteins. The radioactivity of this precipitate averaged 23% in males and 19% in females of the total bound, labeled vitamin. These proteins were periodic-acid-Schiff-negative. Seven protein bands were separated by disk electrophoresis using 5% polyacrylamide gel. The glycoor mucoprotein, or proteins, were precipitated with phosphotungstic acid and this precipitate contained on the average 69% in males and 65% in females of the total bound, labeled vitamin. The mucoprotein, PAS-positive fraction contains the major binder or binders of vitamin B12. With the possible exception of a mammary tumor in mice (Wooley, 1955), multicellular organisms require an exogenous source of vitamin B12. The crops of birds and the stomachs of mammals secrete mucoproteins or mucopolysaccharides (intrinsic factors) which bind vitamin B12 and apparently assist in its absorption by certain portions of the intestine. Some helminth parasites compete with their hosts for this vitamin (von Bonsdorff, 1956; Nogueira and Perez, 1959; Nyberg, 1952, 1958; Scudamore, Thompson, and Owens, 1961), sometimes with such success that anemia is produced in the host (Griisbeck, 1960; Grasbeck, Nyberg, Saarni, and von Bonsdorff, 1962). The tapeworm, Diphyllobothrium latum, possibly possesses some compound capable of splitting vitamin B12 from the host's intrinsic factor (Grasbeck, 1960; Nyberg, Saarni, Gothoni, and Jaerventie, 1961). Although Ascaris suum absorbs considerable vitamin B12, it apparently cannot split the vitamin from the host's intrinsic factor, at least in vitro (Zam, Martin, and Thomas, 1963). The purpose of the present study was to determine if certain portions of the gut of Ascaris suum were more active than others in the uptake of vitamin B12; whether there was a binding substance (or substances), and the nature of the binding substance if such is

Immunologic Approaches to Malabsorption of Vitamin B12

Absorption of Vitamin B₁₂alone or with added intrinsic factor was impaired in three patients with vitamin B₁₂malabsorption, two of whom had megaloblastic anemia, thus supporting the diagnosis of intestinal malabsorption rather than pernicious anemia. Yet, presence of serum autoantibodies to parietal cells or intrinsic factor or both indicated concomitant pernicious anemia. Absorption of vitamin B₁₂in the presence of intrinsic factor was restored in two patients by therapy with cyanocobalamin, suggesting that the initial absorptive abnormalities were induced by deficiency of this vitamin. Autoantibodies to parietal cells were also present in one of three patients with<b>Diphyllobothrium latum</b>-caused vitamin B₁₂deficiency. She had concomitant pernicious anemia. Immunologic tasks are valuable aids in differentiating disorders of vitamin B₁₂malabsorption.

Diphyllobothrium pacificum, a Tapeworm from Sea Lions Endemic in Man Along the Coastal Area of Peru

Insisting on the difficulty of identifying species of the genus Diphyllobothrium, the author draws attention to the peculiar life cycle of Diphyllobothrium norvegicum, which needs four hosts. Diphyllobothrium pacificum (Nybelin, 1931) Margolis, 1956, evolves entirely in a marine habitat; it is a tapeworm of sea lions and is much more frequent in man in Peru than was supposed (60 cases). Because of the ecological food chain in the Peru Current and the fact that the anchoveta is only used for fish meal, the author concludes that man is infested through a paratenic host. Although more than 700 current food fish have been examined for plerocercoid larvae, it has not been possible to identify with certainty a particular plerocercoid since both human and canine experimental infestations were unsuccessful. The mode of human infestation is without doubt through the Peruvian national dish known as cebiche, consisting of raw fish steeped in lime juice with peppers, which is sold not only in restaurants but also on the streets. It is also more than likely that D. pacificum was already a parasite of pre-Columbian man.

Film Reviews

Assessments of Microbiology Films (Part I) Films for Teaching Bacteriological Techniques. (2 parts) 81-004 and 81-005, Film-loop, colour, 7 min 45 sec Produced by Thorne/BSCS: U.S.A. 1964 Microtechniques. (1) dilution plating (2) inoculation with a loop, Film loops, colour, (1) 3 min 50 sec, (2) 1 min 15 sec. Produced by Nuffield Foundation Science Teaching Project: U.K. 1966 Neurospora Techniques. (2 parts) 81-007 and 81-008, Film-loop, colour, 8 min 15 sec. Produced by Thorne/BSCS: U.S.A. 1964 How Bacteria are Handled in the Laboratory. 16 mm, sound, colour, 20 min. Produced by Dr Nuala Crowley and Mr R. Phillips: U.K. 1965 Films on Elementary Bacteriology. (6 films) 1953 Aseptic Transfer. 10 min 1954 Graduated pipette. 20 min 1953 Opacity tubes and nephelometry. 10 min 1955 Dropping pipette. 10 min 1954 Microscopy. 20 min 16 mm, sound, colour. Produced by Film Surveys Ltd. : U.K. Practical Demonstration of Koch's Postulates. Film-loop, colour, 3 min Life of the Moulds. 16 mm, sound, colour, 21 min. Produced by Affiliated Film Producers: U.S.A. 1958 Wheat Rust. 16 mm, sound, colour, 17 min. Produced by National Film Board of Canada: Canada. 1958 Ergot—The Story of a Parasitic Fungus. 16 mm, sound, colour, 27 min. U.K. 1958 Brown Rot. 16 mm, sound, colour, 14 min. Produced by Shell Film Unit: U.K. 1950 Unseen Enemies. 16 and 35 mm, sound, colour, 32 min. Produced by Shell Film Unit: U.K. 1959 The Antibiotics and Terramycin. 16 mm, sound, colour, 20 min. U.S.A. 1952 The Story of Penicillin. 16 mm, sound, black and white, 9 min. Produced by I.C.I. : U.K. 1947 BRL New Penicillins. 16 mm, sound, colour, 14 min. Produced by Technical & Scientific Films: U.K. 1963 Antibiotic from the Sea. 16 mm, sound, colour, 24 min. Produced by Cinechrome: U.K. 1965 The Griseofulvin Story. 16 mm, sound, colour, 21 min. U.K. 1959 An Aid to Therapy. 16 mm, sound, colour, 26 min. 1957 Morphological Changes in Escherichia coli under the Influence of Antibacterial Substances. 16 mm, sound, black and white, 13 min. Produced by Ciba Film Unit: Switzerland. 1953 Swarming of Proteus Vulgaris 16 mm, sound, black and white, 9 min. Produced by Dr W. H. Hughes: U.K. 1958 The Chemotherapy of Experimental Amoebiasis. 16 mm, silent, colour, 9 min. 1947 Lamb Dysentery. 16 mm, sound, colour, 8 min. U.K. 1948 Fundamental Principles of Immunization. 16 mm, sound, colour, 40 min. Produced by Technical and Scientific Films: U.K. 1961 Defence Against Poliomyelitis. 16 mm, sound, colour, 12 min. U.K. 1956 Exit Polio. 16 mm, sound, black and white, 10 min The Sugar Lump Vaccine. 16 mm, sound, black and white, 20 min. U.K. 1961 An Ounce of Protection. 16 mm, sound, colour, 12 min. U.S.A. Longer Life for BCG. 16 mm, sound, colour, 15 min. U.K.: 1957 The Last Scourge. 16 mm, sound, black and white, 65 min. Produced by B.B.C. T.V.: U.K. 1959 Viruses and Cancer. 16 mm, sound, colour, 13 min. U.S.A. HeLa Cell Strain. 16 mm, sound, black and white, 12 min. U.S.A. 1959 Adenovirus and Detroit. 6 Cells. Effect of Viruses on Human Cells 16 mm, sound, colour, 35 min. U.S.A. Dynamics of Phogocytosis. 16 mm, sound, black and white, 28 min. 1958. Phagocytosis by a White Blood Corpuscle or Blood Defences. Film-loop, silent, colour, 1 min 30 sec. Produced by Gateway Film Productions: U.K. 1964 Dynamics of The Tubercle. 16 mm, sound, colour, 28 min. Produced by Churchill-Wexler Films: U.S.A. 1957 Life-Cycle of Diphyllobothrium Latum, 16 mm, sound, black and white, 16 min. Produced by USPHS: U.S.A. 1950 Life-Cycle of Diphyllobothrium Latum: Eggs, Larva and Adult. BZ/138 Coracidium larva, 4 min 5 sec, BZ/139 Procercoid larva, 3 min 55 sec, BZ/140 Adult worm, 4 min 45 sec. Film loops, black and white Produced by British Film Institute. 1963 The Life Cycle of the Malaria Parasite. 16 mm, sound, colour, 21 min. Produced by I.C.I. : U.K. 1951 Pinning Mosquitoes. 16 mm, sound, colour, 5 min 3 secs. Produced by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. U.K. 1953 The Dissections of a Mosquito for Malaria Parasites. 16 mm, sound, colour, 10 min. Produced by Burroughs Wellcome & Co.: U.K. 1953 How a Virus Multiplies. Film loop, black and white, 2 min. Produced by B.B.C.: U.K. 1964 Division of the DNA Molecule. Film loop, black and white, 1-5 min. Produced by B.B.C.: U.K. 1964 Intracellular Metabolism (Krebs Cycle). Filmstrip, colour. Produced by Diana Wyllie Ltd. : U.K. Inside the Cell: 1. Enzymes in Intracellular Chemistry 2. Regulation of Enzymes. 16 mm, sound, colour: (1) 40 min; (2) 42 min. Produced by Surgeon-General, U.S. Army: U.S.A. 1949/1950 Food Preservation. 16 mm and 35 mm, sound, colour, 16 min. Produced by Cammell Hudson Association: U.K. 1965

Respiration of Eudiaptomus gracilis infected with Diphyllobothrium latum

The influence of infection of Diphyllobothrium latum larvae on the respiratory metabolism of host Eudiaptomus gracilis was investigated. The oxygen consumption of infected and noninfected specimens of E. gracilis was determined at 20 °C in cartesian diver respirometers as modified by Zeuthen. The infected copepods were investigated on days 1, 3, 7, 10, and 13 of development of parasite larvae in the body cavity. All copepods used in the experiments were cultivated under the same conditions. The mean oxygen consumption by infected copepods on all the days of investigation was lower than that of noninfected specimens. In consideration of the wide variation of individual measurements, the difference in early respiratory rates between infected and noninfected copepods is not convincing. In the period 6–10 days after infection, a clearer statistically significant drop in oxygen consumption by copepods occurred. This period coincides with organogenesis of larvae likely connected with increasing demands for building materials and secretion of metabolites. These processes can disturb the physiological equilibrium of the host.

The many faces of megaloblastic anemia.

Megaloblastic anemias share a common feature—disordered DNA synthesis, most often resulting from deficiency of folic acid or vitamin B12 or both. However, the cause of the anemias varies from pregnancy to poor nutrition, gastrointestinal disorders, cirrhosis, hemolytic anemias, drugs, fish tapeworms, orotic aciduria, erythroleukemia or long-term dialysis for uremia.

An electron microscope study of the tegument and associated structures of the procercoid of Diphyllobothrium latum (L).

The tegument of the procercoid is divided into an external and internal level in the same way as has been previously described from plerocercoids and adult cestodes.

The fine structure of the tegument of Diphyllobothrium latum (L). A comparison of the plerocercoid and adult stages.

The fine structure of the tegument of the plerocercoid and the adult worm differs in several ways. A large increase in surface area, due to a rapid development of microvilli, takes place as the worm switches from a cold-blooded to a warm-blooded host. The plerocercoid has few and short microvilli, approximately 1.5 μ long, while the surface of the adult worm is densely packed with microvilli measuring more than 4 μ in length. Structures described as lamellated bodies from the tegument of the procercoid (Braten, 1968) and from the plerocercoid disappear when the worm enters the final host. In the internal level of the tegument an increase in the number and size of mitochondria at the adult stage is a prominent feature.

Composition and Crystallization Patterns of Calcareous Corpuscles of Cestodes Grown in Different Classes of Hosts

The chemical composition and the crystallization patterns of the calcareous corpuscles of four and six species of cestodes, respectively, have been studied. Considerable variations were found in both areas. These seemed to be more related to the species of tapeworm than to the type of host in which the worms grew. Thus, very pronounced differences were found between the corpuscles of two larval worms (Taenia crassiceps and Mesocestoides corti), both of which developed in the peritoneal cavity of mice. On the contrary, the crystallization patterns of one fish tapeworm (larval Ligula intestinalis) corresponded upon heating to 600 or 900 C to what is found in such mammalian species as Taenia taeniaeformis, Bertiella studeri, and several others. The 300 C pattern of Ligula conformed to that found in another mammalian species, Mesocestoides corti, and a similar pattern has not yet been encountered in any other tapeworm, of mammalian or nonmammalian origin. The corpuscles of the chicken tapeworm Raillietina cesticillus, on the other hand, were characterized by the almost complete absence of magnesium and the fact that ethylenediamine-isolated corpuscles showed a definite calcite pattern before subsequent heating. In other species, corpuscles isolated by this method have been amorphous with only those of Cysticercus cellulosae showing traces of calcite. Our previous studies (von Brand et al., 1960, 1965a, b; Scott et al., 1962) on the chemical composition and crystallization of cestode calcareous corpuscles revealed quantitative and qualitative differences between the granules isolated from certain species. All tapeworms studied so far in these respects had been grown in mammals. Thus the question arose whether corpuscles from cestodes isolated from other groups of hosts would show more pronounced differences or other types of differences. The present communication is a first attempt to present material having a bearing on this ques-

The Oral Toxicity in Mice and the Uptake by Diphyllobothrium Latum and the Host Gut of some Anthelmintics in Vitro

The Oral Toxicity in Mice and the Uptake by Diphyllobothrium Latum and the Host Gut of some Anthelmintics in Vitro

Effect of Hypothyroidism on Resistance of Mice to Infection with Trichinella spiralis

Propylthiouracil (PTU) was employed to induce hypothyroidism in albino mice which were subsequently given 6,400 or 10,000 Trichinella spiralis larvae. During the first 8 days of infection there was no difference in the mean number of hypothyroid and euthyroid (normal) animals that died. But differences in survival times between the respective hypothyroid and euthyroid groups were statistically significant. The mean survival times of mice receiving 6,400 larvae were 79 and 82 hr for the two groups fed PTU, and 110 hr for the control group. When 10,000 larvae were used, the survival times of mice in hours were 64 and 59 for the PTU-treated animals and 106 for the controls fed a PTU-free diet. When survival time is used as a criterion, the results suggest that the hypothyroid state lowers the resistance of mice to heavy T. spiralis infections. In another experiment second generation larvae were recovered from hypothyroid and euthyroid mice 6 weeks after each received 300 larvae. Although more larvae were recovered from hypothyroid animals (37,000 per mouse) than from controls (27,000 per mouse), the difference was not significant. It is unlikely that larviposition is affected by the thyroid status of the mouse host. Studies of the relation between host thyroid activity and parasitic infections have been few, the results variable. Thus, Todd (1949) working with chickens made hypothyroid with thiouracil or hyperthyroid with iodocasein reported that Heterakis gallinae developed to a greater size in hypothyroid hosts, but Ascaridia galli grew larger in hyperthyroid birds. However, the number of nematodes recovered from chickens with either thyroid abnormality was not significantly different from those in controls. According to Dobson (1964), surgical thyroidectomy increased the number of Oesophagostomum columbianum surviving in lambs, particularly female lambs. Thyroidectomy had no effect, however, on the number of nodules found in hosts of either sex. Using the number of cysticercoids observed 93 hr after infection as the criterion of resistance, Larsh (1947, 1950) reported that the hyperthyroid condition favored the development of Hymenolepis nana in mice. No effect was noted in thiouraciltreated hypothyroid hosts. On the other hand, Landt and Goodchild (1962) recovered heavier Received for publication 11 July 1966. * This investigation was supported by NIH Research Grant NBO 1716 awarded to Dr. M. Hamburgh. t This project was carried out with the assistance of Mr. F. Weil, Rutgers University, and Miss D. Gelfand, Brooklyn College, who participated under the terms of an NSF Summer Institute Grant awarded to Yeshiva University. specimens of H. diminuta from thyroidectomized female, but not male, rats. Palva (1963) detected no relation between hypothyroidism and impaired absorption of vitamin B12 in patients infected with the broad tapeworm, Diphyllobothrium latum. Wheeler et al. (1948) found that hypothyroidism did not alter the natural resistance of thiouracil-fed chicks to Eimeria tenella. Differences in technique and biology of the parasites may account for the diversity of these results. The need for more information on the relation between thyroid activity and parasitism stimulated the present work. The experiments reported herein were undertaken to determine whether hypothyroidism in mice would affect (1) the survival of mice infected with massive doses of Trichinella spiralis, and (2) the number of second generation larvae recovered from host tissues when nonlethal infections were given. MATERIALS AND METHODS The mice used in these experiments were male Swiss albinos from the Charles River Breeding Laboratories. The animals ranged between 5 and 6 weeks of age at the start of each experiment. They were tagged and housed in individual metal cages on wood shavings. The cages were cleaned and new wood shavings added every week. During the experiments all animals were maintained on powdered Rockland mouse diet. The food was issued in porcelain bowls and changed every day. The animals were divided into three groups. Group A consisted of mice that were offered a

Helminths in eskimos in Western Alaska, with particular reference to Diphyllobothrium infection and anaemia

An investigation of a possible relationship between Diphyllobothrium (fish tapeworm) infection and microcytic anaemia among Eskimos was carried out during 1957–1958 at the village of Hooper Bay in western Alaska. Such infections did not contribute to anaemia in residents of this region, a finding in agreement with those of Tötterman 1947 in Finland. Species of diphyllobothriid cestodes recorded from the lower Kuskokwim River region are listed, and other helminths recorded from man in this area are briefly discussed. Schistocephalus solidus (Mueller 1776) is reported from man, apparently for the first time.

Human diphyllobothriasis in Peru.

Diphyllobothrium pacificum, a tapeworm from seals, is reported for the first time from man in Peru. Seven further cases are described from people living along the coast and whose food includes various species of sea fish. The very complicated history of the parasite which involves numerous synonyms has been established. This is also first report of human diphyllobothriasis other than D. latum from the Southern Hemisphere.

Parasite Eggs in Medieval Winchester

The only previous report of parasite eggs from archaeological excavations in Britain is that of Taylor (1955), but their occurrence in ancient deposits and human remains in other parts of the world has been known since 1910, when Ruffer reported Schistosoma haematobium eggs in the kidneys of two Egyptian mummies. Szidat (1944) found eggs of the roundworms Ascaris and Trichuris and structures resembling eggs of the tapeworm Diphyllobothrium latum in the bodies of a girl and a man recovered from a bog in East Prussia. Pizzi and Schenone (1954) recovered eggs of the roundworm Trichuris trichiura and cysts of the protozoan parasite Entamoeba from the frozen body of an Inca child found in a tomb in the Andes. T. trichiura eggs were also observed by Helbaek (1958) in the stomach contents of a corpse recovered from a peat bog in Grauballe, Denmark.

Treatment of Taenia saginata and Diphyllobothrium latum infections with bithionol.

SummaryBithionol administered orally in a single dose of 50 to 66 mg/kg body weight to eight patients with Taenia saginata and eight with Diphyllobothrium latum infections caused the expulsion of long strobilae in all cases. Although the scolex was found in only four cases (50%) of T. saginata and five cases (62.5%) of D. latum infections, stool examinations over follow-up periods of 6 to 41 months showed no evidence of remaining infection. No serious side reactions to the bithionol were seen. Nausea, vomiting, and slight epigastric pain were each noted in one instance.

OPTIC NEUROPATHY CAUSED BY VITAMIN-B 12 DEFICIENCY IN CARRIERS OF THE FISH TAPEWORM, DIPHYLLOBOTHRIUM LATUM

OPTIC NEUROPATHY CAUSED BY VITAMIN-B 12 DEFICIENCY IN CARRIERS OF THE FISH TAPEWORM, DIPHYLLOBOTHRIUM LATUM

The Effect of Customary Finnish Heat Preparation Methods on the Infestiveness of Diphyllobothrium Latum From Fish to Man an Experimental Treatise on the Heat Resistance of Diphyllobothrium Latum Plerocercoids, and on the Temperature Variations in Various Parts of the Pike, Perch and Burbot During Frying in Pan, Boiling, and Baking in Oven

The Effect of Customary Finnish Heat Preparation Methods on the Infestiveness of Diphyllobothrium Latum From Fish to Man an Experimental Treatise on the Heat Resistance of Diphyllobothrium Latum Plerocercoids, and on the Temperature Variations in Various Parts of the Pike, Perch and Burbot During Frying in Pan, Boiling, and Baking in Oven

Hydroxocobalamin and cyanocobalamin

In temperate climates deficiency of vitamin B12 is usually due to defective absorption, most commonly from lack of intrinsic factor as in Addisonian pernicious anaemia and after gastric surgery; occasionally the absorptive defect is caused by gastric carcinoma, resection, short-circuiting or disease of the ileum, including an abnormal bacterial flora, or by the fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum). The effectiveness of oral therapy remains debatable,1 and, since the absorptive defect can rarely be corrected, injections of vitamin B12 are virtually essential.

Effect of folic acid on the absorption of vitamin B12 in fish tapeworm carriers.

Effect of folic acid on the absorption of vitamin B12 in fish tapeworm carriers.