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Four new trematodes of man from Thailand
CORRESPONDENCE
101
TABLE II. T h e inhibition of Plasmodium knowlesi development in vitro by the ~-hydroxy of methionine Morphology (%) Trophozoites
Rings Control
Schizonts
Segmentors
1
63
36
4
77
19
10
80
10
~.-hydroxy analogue 10 rag./1. 100 rag./1.
I
Orotic acid - 14C incorporation (% of control) ~.-hydroxy analogue
DNA
10 mg./1.
84
100 mg./1.
59
RNA .
76 44
These facts indicate the absence of an ~-hydroxy acid dehydrogenase or oxidase and the presence of a glutamine-a-oxo acid transaminase in P. berghei, and that the a-hydroxy acid serves as a partial inhibitor of P. knowlesi development in vitro. We are, etc., BERNHARDT W. LANCER, Jr.,
Department of Biochemistry, Louisiana State University Medical Center, 1542 Tulane Avenue, 22 October, 1970 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A., 70112. (Present address) Smith Kline & French Labs., Animal Research Center, 1600 Paoli Pike, West Chester, Pa., U.S.A., 19380. CRAIG I. CANFIELD, L.T,C., M.C., Division of Metabolism, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, D.C., U.S.A., 20012. This work was supported in part by Louisiana State University Research Grant No. FR-5376, awarded to the Medical Center by the National Institutes of Health. REFERENCES CANFIELD, C. J., ALTSTATT, L. B. & ELLIOT, V. B. (1970). Am. J. trop. Med. Hyg., 19,
905. LANGER, B. W., JR. (1965). Biochem. ft., 05, 683. - (1969). Milit. Med., 134, 1039. , PHISPHUMVIDHI, P. & FRIEDLANDER,Y. (1967). Exp. Parasit., 20, 68. MCKEE, R. W. & GEIMAN, Q. M. (1948). Fed. Proc., 7, 172.
FOUR NEW TREMATODES;OF MAN FROM THAILAND
SIR,--Phaneropsolus bonnei has recently been established as a naturally occurring parasite of man in Thailand, the first record of man serving as a natural host for any member of the Family L E C I T H O D E N D R I I D A E (MANNING et al., 1970). One human infection was previously recorded, though at the time it was considered to be an accidental
102
CORRESPONDENCE
infection (LIE KIAN JOE, 1951). Since that time P. bonnei has also been found in 7 of 48 cynomolgus monkeys (Maeaca fascicularis) captured in Thailand. 3 other species of trematodes have been recovered from autopsies at the Udornthani Provincial Hospital: Prosthodendrium molenkampi, Haplorehis yokogawai, and H. taichui. Infection with Prosthodendrium molenkampi, originally described from 2 cases in Indonesia (LIE KIAN JOE, 1951), was also thought to have resulted from accidental ingestion of the appropriate intermediate host. It has now been recovered from 12 of 21 autopsies. Subsequently, the parasite has been recovered from Rattus rattus and two species of bats, Scotophilus kuhlii and Taphozous melanopogon. Haplorehis yokogawai (Family H E T E R O P H Y I D A E ) has been recovered from 2 of 21 autopsies, adult worms have also been found in dogs. H. taichui was recovered from a single autopsy. This report is the first to establish P~osthodendrium molenkampi as a naturally occurring parasite of man, and to establish the endemicity of Haplorehis yokogawai and 1t. taichui in the human population in Thailand. We are, etc., GEORGE S. MANNING, PRAVET LERTPRASERT ,
16 November, 1970
U.S.A. Medical Component, S E A T O , APO San Francisco 96346. REFERENCES
LIE, KIAN JoE (1951). Doc. NeerL Ind. Morb. trop., 8, 105. MANNING, G. S., DIGGS, C. L., VIYANANT, V., LERTPRASERT, e. &: WATANASIRMKIT,K.
(1970). J. med. Ass. Thailand, 5:i, 173.
MICRO-CRENATIONOF INFECTED ERYTHROCYTES
SIR,--In an interesting short communication, SMITH and THEAKSTON (1970) have described as 'micro-crenation' the appearance of numerous short filamentar protrusions from the surface of human erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium malariae, observed by electron microscopy. A similar appearance was seen by Dr. Lainson and myself on the surface of some red cells of a frog (Rana montezumae) infected with an unidentified haemogregarine. Although not referred to in the text, the condition was illustrated in Fig. 3 of our publication (BAKER and LAINSON, 1967). Perhaps the filaments extending from the surface of erythrocytes of hyrax (Heterohyrax syriacus) infected with Echinozoon hoogstraali (GARNHAM, 1951) are similar but larger structures. I am, etc., J. R. BAKER, M R C Unit of Biochemical Parasitology, Molteno Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, 24 November, 1970 Cambridge CB2 3EE. REFERENCES
BAKER, J. R. & LAINSON, R. (1967). J. Protozool., 14, 233. GARNHAM, P. C. C. (1951). ft. Parasit., 37, 528. SMITH, D. H. ~: THEAKSTON,R. D. G. (1970). A n n . trop. M e d . P a r a s i t . , 64, 329.
INFECTION OF ANOPHELES STEPttENSI AND AEDES A E a Y P T I CELL LINES WITH ARBOVIRUSES ISOLATED FROM ANOPHELINEMOSQUITOES
(Preliminary communication) SiR,--During investigations on the infection with arboviruses of cell lines established by us from larvae of Anopheles stephensi and Aedes aegypti, we infected cell cultures from both species with Anopheles A, O'nyong-nyong, Calovo and Bwamba viruses, all of which were isolated from anopheline mosquitoes. T h e viruses belong to 4 distinct serological groups of arboviruses. Anopheles A virus is in the antigenic grou p Anopheles A, and was
101
TABLE II. T h e inhibition of Plasmodium knowlesi development in vitro by the ~-hydroxy of methionine Morphology (%) Trophozoites
Rings Control
Schizonts
Segmentors
1
63
36
4
77
19
10
80
10
~.-hydroxy analogue 10 rag./1. 100 rag./1.
I
Orotic acid - 14C incorporation (% of control) ~.-hydroxy analogue
DNA
10 mg./1.
84
100 mg./1.
59
RNA .
76 44
These facts indicate the absence of an ~-hydroxy acid dehydrogenase or oxidase and the presence of a glutamine-a-oxo acid transaminase in P. berghei, and that the a-hydroxy acid serves as a partial inhibitor of P. knowlesi development in vitro. We are, etc., BERNHARDT W. LANCER, Jr.,
Department of Biochemistry, Louisiana State University Medical Center, 1542 Tulane Avenue, 22 October, 1970 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A., 70112. (Present address) Smith Kline & French Labs., Animal Research Center, 1600 Paoli Pike, West Chester, Pa., U.S.A., 19380. CRAIG I. CANFIELD, L.T,C., M.C., Division of Metabolism, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, D.C., U.S.A., 20012. This work was supported in part by Louisiana State University Research Grant No. FR-5376, awarded to the Medical Center by the National Institutes of Health. REFERENCES CANFIELD, C. J., ALTSTATT, L. B. & ELLIOT, V. B. (1970). Am. J. trop. Med. Hyg., 19,
905. LANGER, B. W., JR. (1965). Biochem. ft., 05, 683. - (1969). Milit. Med., 134, 1039. , PHISPHUMVIDHI, P. & FRIEDLANDER,Y. (1967). Exp. Parasit., 20, 68. MCKEE, R. W. & GEIMAN, Q. M. (1948). Fed. Proc., 7, 172.
FOUR NEW TREMATODES;OF MAN FROM THAILAND
SIR,--Phaneropsolus bonnei has recently been established as a naturally occurring parasite of man in Thailand, the first record of man serving as a natural host for any member of the Family L E C I T H O D E N D R I I D A E (MANNING et al., 1970). One human infection was previously recorded, though at the time it was considered to be an accidental
102
CORRESPONDENCE
infection (LIE KIAN JOE, 1951). Since that time P. bonnei has also been found in 7 of 48 cynomolgus monkeys (Maeaca fascicularis) captured in Thailand. 3 other species of trematodes have been recovered from autopsies at the Udornthani Provincial Hospital: Prosthodendrium molenkampi, Haplorehis yokogawai, and H. taichui. Infection with Prosthodendrium molenkampi, originally described from 2 cases in Indonesia (LIE KIAN JOE, 1951), was also thought to have resulted from accidental ingestion of the appropriate intermediate host. It has now been recovered from 12 of 21 autopsies. Subsequently, the parasite has been recovered from Rattus rattus and two species of bats, Scotophilus kuhlii and Taphozous melanopogon. Haplorehis yokogawai (Family H E T E R O P H Y I D A E ) has been recovered from 2 of 21 autopsies, adult worms have also been found in dogs. H. taichui was recovered from a single autopsy. This report is the first to establish P~osthodendrium molenkampi as a naturally occurring parasite of man, and to establish the endemicity of Haplorehis yokogawai and 1t. taichui in the human population in Thailand. We are, etc., GEORGE S. MANNING, PRAVET LERTPRASERT ,
16 November, 1970
U.S.A. Medical Component, S E A T O , APO San Francisco 96346. REFERENCES
LIE, KIAN JoE (1951). Doc. NeerL Ind. Morb. trop., 8, 105. MANNING, G. S., DIGGS, C. L., VIYANANT, V., LERTPRASERT, e. &: WATANASIRMKIT,K.
(1970). J. med. Ass. Thailand, 5:i, 173.
MICRO-CRENATIONOF INFECTED ERYTHROCYTES
SIR,--In an interesting short communication, SMITH and THEAKSTON (1970) have described as 'micro-crenation' the appearance of numerous short filamentar protrusions from the surface of human erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium malariae, observed by electron microscopy. A similar appearance was seen by Dr. Lainson and myself on the surface of some red cells of a frog (Rana montezumae) infected with an unidentified haemogregarine. Although not referred to in the text, the condition was illustrated in Fig. 3 of our publication (BAKER and LAINSON, 1967). Perhaps the filaments extending from the surface of erythrocytes of hyrax (Heterohyrax syriacus) infected with Echinozoon hoogstraali (GARNHAM, 1951) are similar but larger structures. I am, etc., J. R. BAKER, M R C Unit of Biochemical Parasitology, Molteno Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, 24 November, 1970 Cambridge CB2 3EE. REFERENCES
BAKER, J. R. & LAINSON, R. (1967). J. Protozool., 14, 233. GARNHAM, P. C. C. (1951). ft. Parasit., 37, 528. SMITH, D. H. ~: THEAKSTON,R. D. G. (1970). A n n . trop. M e d . P a r a s i t . , 64, 329.
INFECTION OF ANOPHELES STEPttENSI AND AEDES A E a Y P T I CELL LINES WITH ARBOVIRUSES ISOLATED FROM ANOPHELINEMOSQUITOES
(Preliminary communication) SiR,--During investigations on the infection with arboviruses of cell lines established by us from larvae of Anopheles stephensi and Aedes aegypti, we infected cell cultures from both species with Anopheles A, O'nyong-nyong, Calovo and Bwamba viruses, all of which were isolated from anopheline mosquitoes. T h e viruses belong to 4 distinct serological groups of arboviruses. Anopheles A virus is in the antigenic grou p Anopheles A, and was