The raccoon roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis, is increasingly recognized as a cause of serious or fatal larva migrans disease in humans and animals. We assessed the potential for infection in three northern California communities by determining the density and distribution of raccoon latrines, where transmission primarily occurs, and the prevalence of eggs at private residences. We collected ...

Area and Costa Rica in general, free-ranging dogs are common , including at playgrounds and school yards, sites also vulnerable to nocturnal visits by raccoons. Dogs can have patent B. procyonis parasite infections and can play a role in transmission of the parasite from raccoons to humans. In Costa Rica, cases of larva migrans have been reported. The Unidad de Investigación y Análisis, Regis-t...

Twenty-seven individuals of Stenopsyche from An-hui, Shan-xi and Si-chuan provinces, China, were examined and their DNA (mtCOI) sequences were extracted and analyzed. The larva, male, and female of a new species, S. huangshanensis sp. nov., associated by mtCOI gene sequences, are described and illustrated. Larvae and adult females of 3 known species, S. angustata Martynov 1930, S. navasi Ulmer ...

A number of hypotheses have been presented regarding the origins of the metazoans and, more specifically, the Bilateria. Using various phylogenetic analyses, characteristics have been mapped on phylogenetic trees to infer ancestral body plans and life history strategies of those ancestors. Many arguments on the evolution of the Bilateria are based on the presumed homology of certain characteris...

Mid-water plankton collections commonly include bizarre and mysterious developmental stages that differ conspicuously from their adult counterparts in morphology and habitat. Unaware of the existence of planktonic larval stages, early zoologists often misidentified these unique morphologies as independent adult lineages. Many such mistakes have since been corrected by collecting larvae, raising...

In cancer research, background models for mutation rates have been extensively calibrated in coding regions, leading to the identification of many driver genes, recurrently mutated more than expected. Noncoding regions are also associated with disease; however, background models for them have not been investigated in as much detail. This is partially due to limited noncoding functional annotati...

Snail is one of the important components of an aquatic ecosystem, it acts as intermediate host of Fasciola species. Control of snail population below a certain threshold level is one of the important methods in the campaign to reduce the incidence of fascioliasis. Life cycle of the parasite can be interrupted by killing the snail or Fasciola larva redia and cercaria in the snail body. In vivo a...