The substance of this report is the helminthologic examination (dissection and organ compression) of 52 wolves in Belorussian Polesie (southern part of Belarus) between 1981 and 1996.The total rate of infection of wolves by helminths was 80.0%. These animals are hosts of 24 species of helminths. The results of our helminthologic examination are illustrated in Table 1. All species of wolf helminths are known to be parasites of humans and domestic animals (dogs, cats, pigs). Most frequently, Taenia hydatigena, Toxocara canis, and Trichinella spiralis larvae were registered. The rate of infection of wolves by these helminths ranged from 19.2% to 26.9%. The number of parasites varied from 1 to 30 specimens. Opisthorchis felineus, Pseudamphistomum truncatum, Trichuris vulpis, and Macracanthorhynchus catulinus were rare species of helminths in wolves. Parasitol Res (2000) 86: 163±164 Ó Springer-Verlag 2000

We present the first ultrastructural description of spermiogenesis and of the spermatozoon of Rubenstrema exasperatum (Omphalometridae), an intestinal parasite of Sorex araneus (Soricidae). Spermiogenesis begins with the formation of the differentiation zone delimited at the base by the ring of the arched membranes and bordered by cortical microtubules. This area contains two centrioles associated with striated rootlets and with an intercentriolar body. It also contains the nucleus and numerous mitochondria. The intercentriolar body is made up of seven electron-dense layers. The two centrioles give rise to two free flagella that grow orthogonally to the median cytoplasmic process. Additionally, flagellar rotation is followed by the proximodistal fusion of the flagella with the median cytoplasmic process, while the nucleus and mitochondria migrate along the spermatid. The constriction of the ring of arched membranes gives rise to the young spermatozoon. The mature spermatozoon of R. exasperatum shows several ultrastructural characters found in digenean spermatozoa such as two axonemes, mitochondrion, two bundles of parallel cortical microtubules, nucleus, and granules of glycogen. External ornamentation of the plasma membrane and spinelike bodies are also present in the spermatozoon of this species. In the present study, we produced additional spermatological data concerning a previously unexplored family, and we also compare our data to the existent ultrastructural descriptions within the Digenea in order to assess the use of several characters proposed as phylogenetic tools.

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This report is the result of helminthological examination (dissection by K.I. Skrjabin and organ compressions) of Triturus vulgaris Linnaeus 1758 (n 28) and T. cristatus Laurenti 1786 (n 20), carried out in Belorussian Polesie (southern part of Belarus, Brest and Gomel regions) between 1980 and 1999. The newts were caught in shallow bodies of water, most often trenches. Other Belorussian helminthologists have not investigated the helminth fauna of newts during this period.The total rate of infection of newts by helminths was 75.0%, with 71.4% of the specimens of T. vulgaris and 80.0% of T. cristatus infected.The newts were hosts for seven species for helminth (Table 1). Opisthioglyphe ranae and Pleurogenoides medians were registered most frequently, with 2±37 specimens/infected newt.The newts were hosts for larval Alaria alata and Strigea strigis, which were both found in three specimens of T. vulgaris and were also found in four and one specimens of T. cristatus, respectively. The number of parasites varied over 1±9 specimens/newt.A. alata are important in medical and veterinary science. The larval stage of this trematode species is known to occur in humans and pigs; and the adult form occurs in dogs. Parasitol Res (2001) 87: 356 Ó Springer-Verlag 2001

The present work constitutes the first ultrastructural analysis of the spermatozoon in the Pleurogenidae, with the study of three species belonging to three of the 16 genera included in this family, namely Pleurogenes claviger, Pleurogenoides medians and Prosotocus confusus. The mature spermatozoa of these pleurogenids present two axonemes of the 9+“1” trepaxonematan pattern, a nucleus, two mitochondria, two bundles of parallel cortical microtubules, external ornamentation, spine-like bodies and granules of glycogen. The organization of these characters in the sperm cell is similar in the three species. Thus, the anterior spermatozoon extremity is filiform and a continuous and submembranous layer of parallel cortical microtubules surrounds the axonemes at their anterior end. The posterior spermatozoon extremity exhibits the second axoneme and corresponds to the Cryptogonimidean type of Quilichini et al. (2010). Slight differences were noted between the spermatozoon of P. confusus and those of the two remaining species in the location of mitochondria.