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Cryptosporidiosis has previously been reported in animals, humans, and water sources in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, most reports were only to the genus level, or generically identified as cryptosporidiosis. We aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium species occurring in diarrhetic ungulates which were brought to the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) in Dubai. Using a combination of microscopic and molecular methods, we identified five species of Cryptosporidium occurring among ungulates in the UAE, namely C. parvum, C. hominis, C. xiaoi, C. meleagridis, and C. equi. Cryptosporidium parvum was the most prevalent species in our samples. Furthermore, we identified subtypes of C. parvum and C. hominis, which are involved in both human and animal cryptosporidiosis. This is also the first reported occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. in the Arabian Tahr, to our knowledge. Since the animals examined were all in contact with humans, the possibility of zoonotic spread is possible. Our study correlates with previous reports in the region, building upon the identification of Cryptosporidium sp. However, there is a need to further investigate the endemic populations of Cryptosporidium, including more hosts, sampling asymptomatic animals, and location data., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Laboratory trials were carried out to investigate the development of three entomophagous parasitoid wasps in preimaginal stages of Sarcophaga dux in monoinfections and mixed infections. Laboratory-raised postfeeding S. dux third-stage larvae were exposed to Brachymeria podagrica . After pupation, 50 of these fly puparia were brought in contact with pupal parasitoid Dirhinus himalayanus and 50 with Nasonia vitripennis , and the remaining 50 puparia were left as Brachymeria monoinfection. In three further trials, each set of 50 freshly pupated host puparia from the same source was exposed to N. vitripennis and D. himalayanus , as monoinfections and mixed infections, respectively. The uninfected control group consisted of 50 S. dux larvae that were kept separately under the same conditions. The percentages of successfully developed B. podagrica and D. himalayanus in monoinfections were 56 and 86%, respectively, and progeny of N. vitripennis hatched from 88% of the exposed host puparia. In mixed infections, N. vitripennis dominated over B. podagrica and D. himalayanus with rates of successfully infected hosts of 50 and 94%, respectively. The number of Nasonia progeny in these groups ranged from 4 to 49 and 5 to 43, respectively. Dirhinus himalayanus did not develop in the simultaneous infection with N. vitripennis . Not a single S. dux eclosed in the six experimental groups, while in the uninfected control group, 46 (92%) adult flies eclosed 11 to 14 days after the start of pupation. Since the three parasitoids emerge from flesh fly pupae, these insects can become important in criminal forensic investigations when corpses are in an advanced stage of decay. More data on their preimaginal development at different temperatures are necessary.

Our knowledge of parasites in wildlife remains limited, primarily due to restricted access to samples, especially of parasites from protected species. This present study contributes to the comprehension of the enigmatic world of helminths of African wild mammals and cestode biodiversity by combining both molecular and morphological analysis. Cestode samples were opportunistically collected from 77 individual definitive hosts in South Africa, Namibia and Ethiopia, encompassing 15 different species of wild African carnivores and additionally domestic cats. The analysis revealed 32 different cyclophyllidean species of which 21 (65.6 %) represent previously unknown genetic entities. They belong to the families Mesocestoididae, Hymenolepididae, Dipylidiidae and Taeniidae. Here we cover the non-taeniid cestodes, while the taeniids will be addressed in a separate publication. Three of the non-taeniid species uncovered in this study could be assigned to the genus Mesocestoides and were isolated from servals and domestic cats. The white-tailed mongoose was found to be a suitable host for a species belonging to the Hymenolepididae, which was identified as Pseudandrya cf. mkuzii . Both feline and canine genotypes of Dipylidium caninum were detected in domestic cats, the canine genotype also in an African wolf. In addition to these, a novel species of Dipylidium was discovered in an aardwolf. Lastly, four distinct species of Joyeuxiella were found in this study, revealing a cryptic species complex and emphasizing the need for a taxonomic reassessment of this genus. Despite the limited scope of our study in terms of geography and sample size, the results highlight that biodiversity of cestodes in African wild mammals is grossly under-researched and follow-up studies are urgently required, in particular linking morphology to gene sequences., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Australian Society for Parasitology.)

At a visit to an unfenced desert conservation reserve in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in February 2022, severe skin disease was noted among resident Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), manifesting as dark grayish to black bark-like thickened skin. Between and 45% and 60% of the oryx showed unrest and pruritus. Sarcoptes scabiei was detected at necropsy of six adult animals. Treatment with ivermectin-medicated pellets at 0.3 mg/kg estimated body weight over two periods of 7 d with a 14-d interval between treatments resulted in improved body and skin condition and hair regrowth. Although severe hyperkeratosis was still present shortly after treatment, no live Sarcoptes mites were found in parasitological examination of skin scrapings of two necropsied animals. By 4 mo post treatment the oryx had returned to normal body condition and coat condition., (© Wildlife Disease Association 2023.)

A study of the parasite fauna of feral cats in Dubai revealed the presence of two Joyeuxiella species, J. pasqualei (Diamare, 1893) and J. fuhrmanni (Baer, 1924). While the wide distribution of J. pasqualei includes countries of the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe, J. fuhrmanni was previously reported from felid hosts from southern Africa and has not been found in other cat parasite surveys in the Middle East, except from Dubai. The availability of historical references, however, raised doubts about the correctness of the allocation of the small Joyeuxiella sp. from Dubai cats to J. fuhrmanni and for this reason, a reexamination of stored material in the parasite collection of the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory in Dubai was carried out. A total of 40 specimens of the small Joyeuxiella sp. with a strobila length between 30 and 60 mm and consisting of 52 to 85 segments obtained from domestic cats and formerly allocated to J. fuhrmanni were studied. In complete specimens, 10 - 13 rows of rostellar hooks were counted. Mature segments were wider than long, round testes were concentrated posterior to coiled vasa deferentia and did not reach the anterior rim of the proglottids. Narrow cirri reached up to 520 μm in length. Gravid segments were longer than wide and egg capsules were restricted to the space between longitudinal excretory vessels. The examination revealed that the morphology of these cestodes matched the main characteristics of J. fuhrmanni . However, the little known cestode, J. gervaisi (Setti, 1895), that had been described from Genetta abyssinica imported from Eritrea 29 years earlier and was declared a species inquirenda met the same main morphological criteria. In this paper, the status of J. gervaisi as a valid species was resurrected and J. fuhrmanni was declared a junior synonym., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Authors state no conflict of interest., (© 2023 R. K. Schuster et al., published by Sciendo.)

The lifecycle of Brachymeria podagrica, a parasitic wasp with a worldwide distribution, was studied under laboratory conditions using the flesh fly, Sarcophaga dux, as a host. Two hundred parasite-free 3rd instars of S. dux were exposed for 24 h to 20 female B. podagrica. In daily intervals, maggots and later pupae were examined for developmental stages of the parasitoid. The whole pre-imaginal development at a temperature of 26 °C lasted 21 to 26 days. Three morphologically different instars, followed by a prepupal and a pupal stage, were described using light and scanning electron microscopy. In a second experiment with 100 3rd stage Sarcophaga larvae and 10 parasitoids, a total of 70 wasps emerged 20 to 25 days after exposure. Two fly larvae did not pupate and dried out, while 28 pupae contained a dry or caseous content, dead wasp imagos, or their larval stages. No fly imagines emerged from exposed groups, while all 100 unexposed larvae pupated and adults eclosed between day 12 and day 14 after the start of the experiment, while the imagoes of the parasitoids appeared 8 to 12 days later., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

During two falcon seasons (2020/21 and 2021/22) we investigated Serratospiculum samples from 112 falcons and examined a total of 760 nematodes. Of the 112 falcons, there were 62 Saker (Falco cherrug), 15 Peregrine (Falco peregrinus), 11 Gyr (Falco rusticolus), 7 Lanner falcons (Falco biarmicus) and 17 hybrid falcons. In 47 samples the origin of the birds was not mentioned, 49 were from Mongolia, 6 from the UAE, 3 from the USA, 2 from Russia, 2 from the UK and one each from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Germany. Three different Serratospiculum species were identified: S. seurati from 100 falcons (62 Saker, 11 Gyr, 10 Peregrine, 5 Lanner, 12 hybrid falcons, S. tendo from 10 falcons (4 Peregrine, 2 Lanner, 1 Gyr, three hybrid falcons) and S. guttatum from two falcons (one Peregrine and one hybrid falcon). The main morphological features of the three parasite species were described briefly and hosts and countries where Serratospiculum spp. were found were listed according to references., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cat domestication likely initiated as a symbiotic relationship between wildcats (Felis silvestris subspecies) and the peoples of developing agrarian societies in the Fertile Crescent. As humans transitioned from hunter-gatherers to farmers ~12,000 years ago, bold wildcats likely capitalized on increased prey density (i.e., rodents). Humans benefited from the cats' predation on these vermin. To refine the site(s) of cat domestication, over 1000 random-bred cats of primarily Eurasian descent were genotyped for single-nucleotide variants and short tandem repeats. The overall cat population structure suggested a single worldwide population with significant isolation by the distance of peripheral subpopulations. The cat population heterozygosity decreased as genetic distance from the proposed cat progenitor's (F.s. lybica) natural habitat increased. Domestic cat origins are focused in the eastern Mediterranean Basin, spreading to nearby islands, and southernly via the Levantine coast into the Nile Valley. Cat population diversity supports the migration patterns of humans and other symbiotic species., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

At a routine health check of a female peregrine falcon, 23 trematodes preliminary identified as Prosthogonimus sp. were removed from the bursa of Fabricius. Based on morphological and molecular examination, a new species, Prosthogonimus falconis, was described. The pear-shaped flukes were 4.3-6.9 mm long, with greatest width posterior to testes. Tegumental spines measuring between 17 and 21 μm long covered the whole body. Length and width ratio of oral to ventral suckers were 1:1.3. Extracaecal, multifollicular vitelline glands commenced prior to acetabulum and terminated posterior to testes. Eggs in the distal uterus measured 21 × 12 μm. Molecular analysis of internal transcribed spacer 2, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 gene regions revealed that the new species described here is phylogenetically closest to Prosthogonimus cuneatus and Prosthogonimus pellucidus clusters.

The muskrat is a neozoon species that has occupied many countries of continental North Europe after its introduction from north America as fur animals. Due to its burrowing activity it damages river and canal banks and structures of flood control. For this reason, the eradication of this alien species is recommended. Muskrats are also of parasitological interest since they can act as suitable intermediate hosts for Echinococcus multilocularis. On the other hand, little is known on the other helminths that infect muskrats. A total of 130 muskrats of different age groups trapped in different habitats in the Barnim district of the Brandenburg state by a professional hunter were examined for parasites and seven trematodes ( Echinostoma sp., Notocotylus noyeri, Plagiorchis elegans, Plagiorchis arvicolae, Psilosostoma simillimum, P. spiculigerum, Opisthorchis felineus and four larval cestode species ( Hydatigera taeniaeformis, Taenia martis, Taenia polyacantha, Taenia crassiceps ) were detected. Larval stages of E. multilocularis were not found. O. felineus was found for the first time in muskrats in Germany. All the named parasites were present in Europe prior to the introduction of muskrats. With a prevalence of 48.9%, Strobilocercus fasciolaris , the larval stage of the cat tapeworm, H. taeniaeformis , was the most frequent parasite found in adult muskrats.

Ophiotaenia echidis n. sp. (Cestoda: Proteocephalidae) is described from the intestine of one of the world's deadliest snakes, the saw-scaled viper Echis carinatus sochureki Stemmler (Ophidia: Viperidae) in the United Arab Emirates. The new species differs from other species of the non-monophyletic Ophiotaenia by the position of testes in two longitudinal lines on both sides of the uterus, and by the large size of an embryophore (diameter of 44-55 μm versus less than 40 μm in other species). Phylogenetic reconstructions based on lsr DNA and concatenated lsr DNA + COI datasets place the new species among proteocephalids from unrelated zoogeographical realms but mostly infecting venomous snakes. In all analyses, O . echidis n. sp. exhibited a strongly supported sister relationship with O. lapata Rambeloson, Ranaivoson et de Chambrier, 2012, a parasite of a pseudoxyrhophiid snake endemic to Madagascar. Despite a shared close evolutionary history between these taxa, morphological synapomorphies remain unclear, which impedes the erection of a new genus to accommodate them. A list of the 71 tapeworms of the former, non-monophyletic subfamily Proteocephalinae, parasitising snakes and lizards, including species inquirendae , and the phylogenetically closely related Thaumasioscolex didelphidis from opossum, with selected characteristics, is also provided, together with a checklist of helminth parasites reported from E. carinatus ., Competing Interests: There is no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Air sac nematodes from birds are known for more than 200 years now and Filaria attenuata was the first described species from falcons, owl and corvid birds. The superficial description and the loss of the original material made F. attenuata a species inquirenda. Seurat (1915) redescribed the species with material from lanner falcon and pallid harrier from Algeria and based on this description Bain and Mawson, Rec S Aust Mus 18:265-28, (1981) created a new species, Serratospiculum seurati, by adding some, slightly divergent, measurements. The current paper is based on light and scanning electron microscopy of five male and 10 female S. seurati specimens from a Peregrine falcon that acquired the infection in Pakistan. The length of the slender male and female nematodes varied between 42-70 and 165-221 mm, respectively, spicules of unequal shape and length measured 292-325 and 638-785 μm. S. seurati was also found in Saker, Barbary and crossbreed falcons.

During a survey on tapeworm larval stages in Artemia franciscana from an artificial pond in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a high prevalence of Eurycestus avoceti -like cysticercoids was established. Adult male and female crustaceans showed a prevalence of 61.9 and 62.7 %, respectively. The intensity ranged from one to four and one to three cyst, respectively. Out of 215 examined cysticercoids, 207 specimens had morphological features matching with E. avoceti . The flaky structure of the surrounding capsule, the elongated shape of the cysticercoid and the larger number of hooklets on the suckers suggest that the eight further larval cestodes belonged to another species of the genus Eurycestus ., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest There is no conflict of interests., (© 2019 R. K. Schuster, published by Sciendo.)

Domesticated Old World camels (Camelus dromedarius and Camelus bactrianus) are important for the economy of several countries in Asia, Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula, and coccidiosis is an important disease in camels. There is confusion concerning the species of coccidian parasites in camels and their life cycles. Although five species of Eimeria (E. cameli, E. rajasthani, E. dromedarii, E. bactriani, and E. pellerdyi) were named from camels, E. cameli is considered the most pathogenic. Here, development of gametogonic stages and oocysts of E. cameli are described in the lamina propria of the small intestines of naturally infected camels. Only sexual stages have been confirmed.

Five bacterial strains, UAE-HKU57 T , UAE-HKU58, UAE-HKU59, UAE-HKU60 and UAE-HKU61, were isolated in Dubai, UAE, from necrotic foot tissue samples of four dromedaries (Camelus dromedarius) and associated maggots (Wohrlfartia species). They were non-sporulating, Gram-negative, non-motile bacilli. They grew well under aerobic conditions at 37 °C, but not anaerobically. The pH range for growth was pH 7.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.5-8.0) and the strains could tolerate NaCl concentrations (w/v) up to 2 % (optimum, 0.5 %). They were catalase- and cytochrome oxidase-positive, but caseinase-, gelatinase- and urease-negative. Their phenotypic characters were distinguishable from other closely related species. Phylogenetic analyses of the almost-complete 16S rRNA gene and partial 23S rRNA gene, gyrB, groEL and recA sequences revealed that the five isolates were most closely related to undescribed Ignatzschineria strain F8392 and Ignatzschineria indica, but in most phylogenies clustered separately from these close relatives. Average nucleotide identity analysis showed that genomes of the five isolates (2.47-2.52 Mb, G+C content 41.71-41.86 mol%) were 98.00-99.97% similar to each other, but ≤87.18 % similar to other Ignatzschineriaspecies/strains. Low DNA relatedness between the five isolates to other Ignatzschineriaspecies/strains was also supported by Genome-to-Genome Distance Calculator analysis. The chemotaxonomic traits of the five strains were highly similar. They were non-susceptible (intermediate or resistant) to tetracycline and resistant to trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole. The name Ignatzschineria cameli sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate these five strains, with strain UAE-HKU57 T (=CCOS1165 T =NBRC 113042 T ) as the type strain.

A total of 1840 brine shrimps (Artemia franciscana) were examined for cestode larvae at monthly intervals between November 2015 and June 2016. Of these, 663 (36.03%) specimens were infected with cysticercoids of seven cestode species in numbers between one and sixteen. During the first four months of examination, the percentage of infected shrimps was low but rose significantly with increasing temperatures in March, reaching maximum values in May. Flamingolepis liguloides and Flamingolepis flamingo showed the highest prevalence overall, at 25.3 and 10.7%, respectively. The intensity of infection was 1-10 and 1-4 cysticercoids, respectively. Eurycestus avoceti, Wardium stellorae, Gynandrotaenia stammeri, Anomotaenia tringae and Confluaria podicipina occurred at lower prevalence of 4.5, 3.2, 1.7, 0.3 and 0.05%, respectively. Up to four species were detected in one host.

Domesticated Old World camels (Camelus dromedarius and C. bactrianus) are important for the economy of several countries in Asia, Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula, and coccidiosis is important as a cause of mortality in juvenile camels. There is confusion concerning the species of coccidian parasites in camels and their life cycles. The objective of the present paper is to review biology of the Eimeria and Cystoisospora species in camels. The following conclusions were drawn. Although five species of Eimeria; E. cameli, E. rajasthani, E. dromedarii, E. bactriani, and E. pellerdyi were named from camels, only E. cameli, E. rajasthani, E. dromedarii have been consistently found in numerous surveys and they are morphologically distinct. We consider E. pellerdyi and E. bacterini as species enquirende/ not valid. E. cameli oocysts are distinctive, dark brown and up to 108 μm long. Its gametogonic stages and oocysts are present in the lamina propria of small intestines; only sexual stages have been confirmed. The remaining species of Eimeria (E. rajasthani and E. dromedarii) in camels are <40 μm long and their endogenous stages are unknown. There is one valid species of Cystoisospora, C. orlovi in camels and is associated with severe disease in young camels, both pastoral and stall fed camels. Camels as young as nine days old can develop severe diarrhea and can die before oocysts are detected in feces. Lesions and endogenous stages are confined to the large intestine. The main lesion is hemorrhagic, diphtheroid to hemorrhagic colitis-associated with sexual stages; asexual stages are unknown. Oocysts are rarely excreted by adult camels, and in low numbers. Therefore, infection in very young camels remains unexplained., (Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Unlike bacteria and fungi, identification of helminths by gene sequencing is not well-standardized. No "pan-cestode" or "pan-nematode" PCR primers are available. In this study, we designed 2 pairs of PCR primers for amplifying the cox1 genes of cestodes and nematodes respectively and validated their usefulness for real-time PCR and sequencing identification using clinical samples with cestodes and nematodes collected from a variety of animals and human in 7 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa. The detection limits of the cox1 real-time PCR assays for cestodes and nematodes were 10 copies/reaction of extracted DNA, corresponding to C T values of 33 and 31 respectively. Real-time PCR using the 2 pairs of primers and probes showed positive results for all 20 clinical samples of cestodes and nematodes. Using phenotypic identification results as the reference standard, DNA sequencing successfully identified all the 5 cestodes and 7 nematodes with cox1 gene sequences available in GenBank, with all these names appearing as the best match of the cox1 gene sequences of the corresponding clinical samples. The percentage nucleotide identities between the cox1 gene sequences of the samples and those of the corresponding best match sequences in GenBank were 98-100%. For the remaining 5 cestodes and 3 nematodes, the corresponding cox1 gene sequences were not available in GenBank. cox1 gene sequencing is discriminative enough for accurately identifying most of the cestodes and nematodes in the present study. Further expansion of the cox1 gene sequence database will enable accurate identification of more cestodes and nematodes., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Although the life cycle of the equid stomach parasite Habronema muscae was disclosed more than 100 years ago, little is known about the effect of the developing nematode larvae in its intermediate host, Musca domestica. In a series of experiments, freshly hatched M. domestica larvae were exposed to H. muscae eggs contained in a faecal sample of a naturally infected horse. In daily intervals, 50 fly larvae were removed and transferred on a parasite-free larval rearing medium where they completed their development. Hatched flies were examined for the presence of Habronema third-stage larvae. In two subsequent control groups, flies spend their entire larval life in contaminated horse faeces and in a parasite-free larval rearing medium, respectively. Out of the 700 fly larvae used in the infection experiments, 304 developed into adult flies of which 281 were infected. The average nematode larval burden rose from 3.6 in the group with the shortest exposure to more than 25 in the groups with the longest exposure. The proportion of larvae that developed into the adult insect fell from 82 % in the uninfected control group to 27 % in the positive control group. The pupae of the positive control group were smaller and lighter than those of the uninfected control group. Lower pupal size and weight in the positive control group as well as a lower insect developing rate might be attributed to the destruction of adipose cells in the maggots by Habronema larvae.

Oocysts of a coccidian morphologically matching features of Caryospora megafalconis Klüh, 1994 were found in fecal samples and contents of the large intestines in five wild caught Clamydotis macqueenii (Gray) and 19 captive bred C. undulata (Jaquin). Scrapings of the intestinal mucosa of necropsied birds revealed macrogamonts and unsporulated oocysts. Sporulation in a potassium dichromate solution at 26 °C was completed in 48 h. Intestinal contents and sporulated oocysts obtained from feces of infected bustards as well as sporulated oocysts of C. megafalconis and C. neofalconis Böer, 1982 from two Falco rusticolis Linnaeus and one F. peregrinus Tunstall were used for DNA sequencing of the cox1, 18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA), and 28S rRNA genes. The phylogenetic trees for all three genes showed that sequences of the material from bustards were identical with C. megafalconis from falcons. C. neofalconis and C. daceloe Yang et al., 2014 were situated in the neighboring clades. Contrary to this, subsequent sequences of C. bigenetica Wacha and Christiansen, 1982 from rattlesakes are at a distinct distance suggesting that despite morphological similarities of the oocysts, there are differences between Caryospora species of birds and reptiles. For this reason, it might be reasonable to transfer avian Caryospora species into a new genus Avispora.

Cats are host to dipylidiid cestodes of the genera Diplopylidium, Dipylidium and Joyeuxiella. Broadline(®), a topical broad-spectrum combination parasiticide containing fipronil (8.3 % w/v), (S)-methoprene (10 % w/v), eprinomectin (0.4 % w/v) and the cestocide praziquantel (8.3 % w/v), has previously been shown to be efficacious against Dipylidium caninum and Diplopylidium spp. in cats. To evaluate its efficacy against Joyeuxiella species, a blinded clinical efficacy study was conducted according to GCP. All cats had evidence for naturally acquired dipylidiid cestode infection as confirmed by pre-treatment examination. Cats were allocated randomly to two groups of 13 cats each based on bodyweight: Control (untreated) and Broadline(®) at 0.12 mL/kg bodyweight administered once topically. Based on the comparison of helminth counts in the treated and untreated cats seven days post treatment, Broadline(®) demonstrated >99 % efficacy (p < 0.01) against mature J. fuhrmanni and J. pasqualei, with 11 and 13 of the untreated cats harbouring 1 to 102 or 2 to 95 cestodes, respectively. In addition, parasite counts indicated 95.9 % efficacy (p = 0.006) against the rictularoid nematode Pterygodermatites cahirensis.

In UAE, camel Physocephalus dromedarii was diagnosed for the first time in 2011 in dromedaries from a farm that previously had imported animals from foreign countries. The large scarab beetle, Scarabaeus cristatus, was found to be the major intermediate host for this parasite in Dubai. A total of 638 specimens of S. cristatus were collected and examined for the presence of third-stage larvae of nematode larvae at two sites in the Dubai Emirate (Emirates Industry for Camel Milk and Products and horse endurance training track) within a distance of 15 km. Third-stage larvae of P. dromedarii were detected in 94 and 97 % of beetles collected from the territory of the camel milk farm and the endurance training track, respectively. In addition to third-stage larvae, 264 beetles contained second-stage larvae. Only four beetles were infected with other than P. dromedarii larvae. The average larval burden in beetles from camel milk farm was significantly higher compared to those in beetles collected from the other site (1538 vs. 697). Comparison of larval burdens in juvenile and adult beetles collected at the camel milk farm showed a significantly higher intensity in adult specimens (501 vs. 1734) while in beetles found on the horse endurance track, larval burdens were comparable (548 vs. 858). The results suggest that S. cristatus become infected at the camel milk farm, and in search for other sources of food, they fly to places where they were found feeding on feces of other animals.

Background: Shepherd and stray dogs are thought to represent the primary definitive hosts of Coenurosis by Taenia multiceps, due to their feeding habits which translate into high chances of coming into contact with infected intermediate hosts. Nonetheless, little attention has been paid to the role of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the epidemiology of coenurosis. In fact a knowledge gap exists on the role played by red foxes in the epidemiology of Taenia multiceps and the capability of this parasite to produce fertile and viable eggs in this wild canid, i.e. on the occurrence of a sylvatic cycle. This study investigates the role of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the epidemiology of T. multiceps and related metacestodoses., Methods: The small intestine of 63 red foxes was macroscopically examined for the presence of cestodes. Adult parasites were identified morphologically as being T. multiceps. Tapeworm eggs were counted and stored at 4 °C in physiological saline solution prior to experimental infection of four sheep and one goat. Sheep were inoculated orally on Day 0 with 3000 (sheep 1), 5000 (sheep 2 and 3) or 7000 eggs (sheep 4), while the goat was infected with 5000 eggs of T. multiceps. The animals were followed-up regularly by MRI and underwent surgical treatment between days 180 to day 240 post infection. Collected coenuri were identified using morphological and molecular methods., Results: A total of 6.3 % of red foxes were found infected with T. multiceps and the eggs obtained from the worms were determined to have a viability of 45.4 %. Two of the challenged sheep and the goat developed disease compatible with T. multiceps. Morphometrical features of the cysts were consistent with those of T. multiceps; nucleotide amplification and sequencing of mitochondrial genes (i.e., cox1 and Nd1) from the metacestode material confirmed the identification., Conclusions: The present study is the first to provide evidence of the role of the red fox as a competent definitive host for T. multiceps, thus changing the epidemiological scenarios of infections by this cestode.

The life cycle of Physocephalus dromedarii was studied under experimental conditions. Larvae obtained from naturally infected Scarabaeus cristatus and Aphodius sp. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) were measured and examined in light and scanning electron microscopy and used to infect a dromedary as final host as well as chicken, mice and a toad as possible paratenic hosts. Larvae with the same morphology and similar measurements were found in naturally infected reptiles (Trapelus flavimaculatus, Eryx jayakari, Cerastes gasperettii). Body length of examined larvae varied between 1450 and 1700 μm. Dorsal, ventral and lateral lips, peg-like papillae and amphideal pits are located on the cephalic cone. There are two asymmetrical cervical deirids, long simple lateral wings and a knob-like posterior end covered with minute spines. In the camel, patency is reached within 12 weeks after infection while larvae in paratenic hosts migrate into the wall of the alimentary tract and become dormant.

Physocephalus dromedarii stat. nov. was found in the abomasum of two adult female dromedaries originating from a farm in Dubai. Previously, this nematode has been misidentified as a subspecies of Ph. sexalatus but morphological differences are striking enough for it to be upgraded to a species. Physocephalus dromedarii is larger than Ph. sexalatus and has longer spicules. There are 20-22 oblique crests at the ventral surface between the caudal alae of the male compared to 7-8 in the case of Ph. sexalatus. The most significant differences are the presence of two pairs of papillae between cloaca and postcloacal plate of the male and the existence of a swelling in the second half of the female body formed by loops of both uterine horns.