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Histopathological effects of the chigger, Eutrombicula lipovskyana, on the mite pockets of neonatal, juvenile and adult Yarrow's spiny lizard, Sceloporus jarrovii, were investigated. Focal ulcerative dermatitis was noted in all age classes. This reaction was more diffuse in older animals in which penetration as deep as the panniculus occurred. Based on the occurrence of inflammatory reactions in neonatal lizards, S. jarrovii appears capable of recognizing foreign antigens shortly after birth. There was an increased inflammatory response in older lizards that may have been an augmented host sensitivity following repeated exposure to chiggers. Granulomas, which were interpreted as an attempt to isolate the effects of chigger bites, were noted in juveniles and adults. We propose that S. jarrovii does not develop resistance after repeated exposures to E. lipovskyana.

A leukemia characterized by the proliferation of undifferentiated hematopoietic stem cells is described from a desert spiny lizard (Sceloporus magister). This is the first neoplasm reported from this species and the first leukemia from the family Iguanidae. A massive invasion of primitive hematopoietic cells was noted in the vascular system and heart muscle. Spleen, bone marrow, lungs, adrenal gland, pancreas, brain, skin, testes, liver, lamina propria and submucosa of intestines were extensively involved. Tissue-fixed mast cells were noted in the kidney and intestinal submucosa but were not participating in the neoplastic proliferation.

Duration of attachment was determined for the chigger, Eutrombicula lipovskyana in mite pockets of the phrynosomatid lizard, Sceloporus jarrovii from Arizona. Eutrombicula lipovskyana remained attached in mite pockets for as long as 52 days. Infestations in other body areas were of shorter duration. The mite Geckobiella texana was also found to infest S. jarrovii.

Prevalence of larval nematodes (Physocephalus sp., Spirurida, Spirocercidae) and associated cysts are reported from the blue spiny lizard, Sceloporus serrifer, from Texas (USA). Prevalence of infection was 29%, with seven of 24 animals infected. Larvae were found in gastric submucosal and occasionally mucosal cysts with a mean (+/- SE) of 287 +/- 9.04 microns in diameter. The nematodes evoked a chronic granulomatous response including cyst formation with focal destruction of gastric glands. Cysts resolved into areas of fibrosis. Sceloporus serrifer is a new host record for Physocephalus sp.

The gastrointestinal tracts of 167 of 489 (34%) Yarrow's spiny lizards (Sceloporus jarrovii jarrovii) collected in Pima County, Arizona (USA) from October 1967 through January 1970 were infected with Physaloptera retusa. Of the infected lizards, 88 (18%) had only larvae, 45 (9%) had larvae and adults and 32 (7%) had only adult nematodes. The ratio of larval nematodes to adults was approximately 8:1. Monthly prevalences varied from 71% in April 1969 to 10% in July 1969; seasonal patterns of infection were not observed.

Examination of the intestinal tracts of 74 granite spiny lizards (Sceloporus orcutti) from Riverside County, California (USA) revealed infection with one cestode species Oochoristica scelopori (Anoplocephalidae) and one nematode species Spauligodon giganticus (Pharyngodonidae). Helminth prevalence was 24%. The presence of Oochoristica scelopori represents a new host record.