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The content of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium ions was determined in cestodes Ligula intestinalis, Eubothrium rugosum, and Triaenophorus nodulosus. In freshwater fishes the total concentration of Na, K, Ca, Mg ions in cestode tissue water is practically similar to that of fishes muscles and in serum. It was suggested that examined cestodes have isoosmotic regulation of the water-salt balance.

The mass infection of larvae and youngsters of carp fishes with the peritrichoid Ambiphrya ameiuri has been recorded in natural condition in the Rybinsk water reservoir. The uneven localisation of ambiphyrans on the body surface has been observed on the hosts Blicca bjorkna and Abramis brama. Most high density of parasites was on the breast, back and tail fins. The morphological variability of ambiphyrans in dependence upon their localisation on the fish body has been observed. Details being significant for the taxonomy have been studied by means of the scan electron microscope. It has been found that the scopulae (greatly developed attaching organ of A. ameiuri) in cases of heavy infection cover about 50-60% of the skin epithelium of fish larvae. In these cases the significant part of skin epithelium, which performs the respiratory function is excludes of the active oxygen supply that cause the illness and death of young fishes.

The paper presents the results of studies on the effect of wastes of the Cherepovets iron-and-steel works containing phenol, naphthaline and oil products on fish parasites of the Sheksna part of the Rybinsk water reservoir (the Volga river system). It has been shown that the number of highly sensitive ectoparasites of Abramis brama (Protozoa, Dactylogyrus monogeneans, Ergasilus sieboldi crustaceans and Caspiobdella fadejewi leeches) considerably decreases in the zone of pollution. It has been first suggested to use Diplozoon paradoxum and Caryophyllaeus laticeps, parasites of bream highly resistant to toxic effect, the number of which considerably increases in the zone of pollution, as indicators of anthropogenic pollution and ecological state of a water body. Among diplozoons there have been first discovered individuals having structural anomalies (reduction of the attachment organs, violation in the symmetry of arrangement and number of valves) that serves as evidence of mutagenic effect of toxic substances of polluted waters on morphogenesis of the parasite.

Studies were carried out of the nervous apparatus of Eubothrium salvelini, E. rugosum, E. crassum, E. vittevitellatus, Diphyllobothrium latum and D. dendriticum (Cestoda, Pseudophyllidea) at different stages of their life cycle. Scolexes of adult cestodes are innervated with 5 pairs of longitudinal nerve trunks, the number of which in the strobile gradually increases up to 17 pairs in species of Eubothrium and up to 60 pairs (in the wildest parts of the strobile) in species of Diphyllobothrium. There were noted differences in of longitudinal trunks in different species and in the specimens of the same species but from different hosts, the width of the strobile being the same. The main lateral trunks are situated in the medullar parenchima. In species of Eubothrium they are wide apart while in Diphyllobothrium they are drawn closer to one another. The description of the rough and inner nerve plexuses is given. Judging by the larval developmental phases the well developed orthogon with 3 pairs of longitudinal nerve trunks can be taken for the initial state of the nervous apparatus in Pseudophyllidea. This means that the initial forms belonged to advanced turbellarians rather than to primitive ones.

Experiments conducted have shown that water temperature can affect dactylogyrids in two ways. From one hand, the direct influence stimulates the development and reproduction of the parasites that results in the increase of their abundance. From the other hand, the indirect effect can take place. The rise in the temperature increases the general resistence of the fish organism and favours the formation of immunological reaction to hyperinfection that causes the further fall in the parasite abundance. Thus, the seasonal dynamics of the abundance of dactylogyrids depends on the complex interaction of these two factors.

The anatomy of the nervous apparatus of Triaenophorus nodulosus at all stages of its life cycle was studied by means of Zherebtsov's hystochemical method. Judging by the cholinesterase activity the mass of nerve cells is situated in the oncospheres of the coracidium. At the procercoid stage the ortogonal nervous system arises with three pairs of the longitudinal nervous trunk. In plerocercoids the number of longitudinal trunks increases up to 7 pairs, the rough nervous plexus and inner plexus develop too, In mature, cestodes only secondary changes take place associated with the development of the genital system. Both in larvae and adults all longitudinal trunks are situated at the same level, on the border of the cortical and medullary parenchyma, and only the inner nervous plexus first described by the authors from cestodes passes through the medullary parenchyma. The arrangement of all elements of the nervous apparatus at the same level corresponds from the authors point of view to the most primitive state of the nervous system in the order Pseudophyllidea.

The effect of the anthelmintic preparation fenasal on the fine structure of tegument of the cestode Caryophyllaeus laticeps, a parasite of Cyprinidae, was studied in vitro. 10 mcg/ml concentration of fenasal causes numerous evaginations of the external cytoplasmic layer in the scolex of helminth. Inside these formations there are granules of secretion, mitochondria, vacuoles. At the same time microtrichia disappear from the surface, cytoplasmic layer gets thinner and its mitochondria degenerate. In the middle part of the body the number of microtrichia decreases, the layer of tegumental cells swells and conformational condition of its mitochondria changes. The degree of injury depends on the exposition time which was from 0 to 4 hours.

The effect of procercoids of T. nodulosus on the periods of metamorphosis, fecundity, survival and the capacity to infect C. strenuus at all copepodid stages (I-V) was studied experimentally. It has been first shown that early copepodid stages (I-III) can be easily infected and serve as first intermediate hosts of T. nodulosus. Under the effect of the parasite the metamorphosis periods of the I and 2-nd copepodid stages increase considerably even at the low infection intensity while at the IV and V copepodid stages--only at the high infection intensity. If the infection takes place at the IV copepodid stage the female fecundity decreases even at a high infection intensity. The life span of infected and noninfected cyclops coincides. At early developmental stages the relations in the system "T. nodulosus-C. strenuus" manifest themselves in different ways and result in the breach of the important biological function of the host.