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Parasites of House-Dwelling, Insectivorous Bats from Alabe, Kwara State, Nigeria

1981; American Society of Parasitologists; Volume: 67; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/3280657

1937-2345

L D Edungbola,

Forensic Entomology and Diptera Studies

infection and differences in the regions visited could account for the discrepancy between these percentages. Of 20 equines from Jutiapa and Moyuta, mountainous regions near El Salvador, 10 were positive for microfilariae of 0. cervicalis. In SVP, 26 of 33 equines were positive. The results of the present survey suggest a widespread distribution in Guatemala of both 0. gutturosa and 0. cervicalis. Further, it should be noted that animal infections were present even in the areas where no human onchocerciasis was reported. To obtain information on the vector for 0. gutturosa, blackflies which came to feed on cattle were collected at five plantations of SVP from 0800 to 1200 for several days in February 1978. Of 201 flies collected, 117 were Simulium metallicum; 40, S. pulveralentum; 36, S. callidum; and 8, S. rubicundulum. Dissection studies of the captured flies revealed that all of them were negative for Onchocerca larvae or other filariae; five S. metallicum harbored mermithid nematodes. These negative data may have resulted from the small size of the blackfly samples dissected in the present survey. According to Garms (1975, Tropenmed. Parasitol. 26: 169-182), who examined anthropophilic blackflies in Guatemala, in S. metallicum only two females of 3,121 dissected harbored infective larvae of filaria species morphologically different from 0. volvulus. Simulium metallicum and S. callidum are anthropophilic species and potential vectors of human onchocerciasis elsewhere in Latin America. For this reason, even in SVP, the possible infection of these flies with the larvae of bovine Onchocerca should be taken into consideration. We are indebted to Dr. L. R. Ash of UCLA for critical reading of the manuscript, to Dr. J. J. Castillo O., and Dr. H. Takahashi for their encouragement throughout this study. This study was supported by the Ministry of Public Health of Guatemala and by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. (GJCRCPOMENSAP Series No. 15).