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Human trichuriasis is a neglected tropical disease which affects millions of people worldwide, mostly living in low socio-economic conditions. Numerous studies have been conducted over the past 10 years to compare the different techniques for T. trichiura eggs detection. Our study provides the first geometric morphometric analysis for the specific detection of eggs of Trichuris sp. isolated from stools of macaque (M. sylvanus), colobus (C. g. kikuyensis), grivets (C. aethiops) and the Brazza's monkey (C. neglectus) from zoos in Spain. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) arises as an efficient method to determine Trichuris spp. eggs. The selected measurements to be included in the PCA were proposed for the first time in the present work, as far as we know, as we could not find previous studies reporting standardized parameters. Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (CGL2017-83057), which included FEDER funds Junta de Andalucía (BIO-338) V Plan Propio de Investigacion of the University of Seville

A study to determine the prevalence and morphotype diversity of soil-transmitted helminths in captive non-human primates (NHPs) in northern Nigeria was conducted. Simple flotation and sedimentation methods were used to examine fecal samples. A Morphometric analysis was done on Trichuris spp. eggs to determine the diversity of whipworm circulating in NHPs in the study area. High prevalence (60%) of infection was recorded in captive NHPs; Patas Monkey (n=17), Tantalus Monkey (n=9), Mona Monkey (n=7), Vervet Monkey (n=2), Mangabey Monkey (n=1), Baboon (n=14), and Chimpanzee (n=8) from parks and zoological gardens located in four Nigerian states (Borno, Gombe, Kano, and Plateau) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Captive NHPs examined were infected with helminths either as single, double or triple infections. Four zoonotic soil transmitted helminth (STH) genera, Trichuris, Strongyloides, Ancylostoma, and Enterobius were detected in the examined animals. Eggs of Trichuris spp. were the most prevalent with four morphotypes suggesting several morphotypes of whipworm were circulating among the NHPs in this region. Further studies are required to elucidate the epidemiologic and public health implications of these findings.

The whipworm Trichuris muris was recovered from the caecum of the wild rodent Psammomys obessus trapped from Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. The cuticular surface ultrastructure is described using SEM. T. muris is closely related to other Trichuris species but can be distinguished from them mainly by differences in the posterior end of males. Details of the surface such as the bacillary gland, cuticular inflations and several morphological details obtained by scanning electron microscopy confirmed the characteristics that differentiate the species. P. obessus (Cretzschmar, 1828) is considered a new host record and Sinai is considered a new locality for the genus. This may through light on the spread of T. muris between Asia and Africa.

Populations of Trichuris spp. isolated from six species of sigmodontine rodents from Argentina were analyzed based on morphological characteristics and ITS2 (rDNA) region sequences. Molecular data provided an opportunity to discuss the phylogenetic relationships among the Trichuris spp. from Noth and South America (mainly from Argentina). Trichuris specimens were identified morphologically as Trichuris pardinasi, T. navonae, Trichuris sp. and Trichuris new species, described in this paper. Sequences analyzed by Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian inference methods showed four main clades corresponding with the four different species regardless of geographical origin and host species. These four species from sigmodontine rodents clustered together and separated from Trichuris species isolated from murine and arvicoline rodents (outgroup). Different genetic lineages observed among Trichuris species from sigmodontine rodents which supported the proposal of a new species. Moreover, host distribution showed correspondence with the different tribes within the subfamily Sigmodontinae., Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias

HUMAN beings can become infected by a number of canine intestinal helminths, some of which are considered to be potential public health problems worldwide. However, intestinal worms of dogs currently receive less attention than their protozoan counterparts. This may be partly due to the decline in endemicity reported in developed countries, where dogs are likely to receive more attention and anthelmintic treatment from their owners. To illustrate the importance of veterinary care, a longitudinal study in Japan revealed that progress in prophylactic drug administration against dirofilariosis had reduced the prevalence of several intestinal nematodes in dogs (Asano and others 2004). The low levels of prevalence among canine hosts translate into a reduction in potential zoonotic risk for human beings in a given area. However, endemicity has been found to vary markedly from one region to another, and is also influenced by aspects of the survey protocols, such as subject choice and the diagnostic techniques that are employed (Robertson and others 2000). This short communication describes part of an ongoing study on the zoonotic helminths of Japan. It details a coprological survey of dogs in Aomori, the northernmost prefecture on the mainland, where no such information is currently available. The analyses focused on hunting dogs, as the way in which they are managed and their field activities makes them more susceptible to acquiring a variety of zoonotic helminths, either directly or indirectly from wildlife. Faecal samples were collected from 134 hunting dogs and 86 companion dogs between December 2003 and March 2005. Two different diagnostic techniques were employed: a centrifugal flotation technique (Ito 1980) with a sucrose solution with a specific gravity of 1·27, and a formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation technique (Young and others 1979). With the exception of Trichuris species and Taeniidae, all eggs were identified to genus, or genus and species, on the basis of morphological characteristics. The eggs of T vulpis are morphologically similar to those of other Trichuris species (Bundy and Cooper 1989), and parasitic eggs may be excreted after being acquired from other animals through coprophagy (Traub and others 2002). A total of 100 randomly selected trichurid eggs from positive faecal specimens were therefore re-examined according to the dimensions described by Yoshikawa and others (1989). Given the difficulty of distinguishing between taeniid tapeworm eggs on the basis of shape and size (Thompson 1995), Taenia and Echinococcus species were differentiated using nested PCR (Dinkel and others 1998). Pearson’s chi-squared test was used to assess differences in the egg prevalence of each helminth between both groups. McNemar’s chi-squared Hunting dogs Companion dogs Helminth species Number (%) positive 95% CI Number (%) positive 95% CI

Trichuris eggs were found in Kerodon rupestris (Rodentia, Caviidae) coprolites collected in archaeological layers dated from 30,000 yr BP (before present) to 8,450 yr BP. Adult worms and eggs of this genus were not found in a search of living mammals of the region. Results indicate that K. rupestris was a host for an unknown Trichuris species not found in this rodent presently. Climate changes that occurred by 10,000 yr ago in the region could be the cause of its disappearance. The finding of parasites in archaeological material can show the antiquity of host-parasite relationships and parasite losses through time.