The article presents new methods of detection of host's blood consumed by a louse on the basis of louse's dry faeces examination. The paper is also an introduction of immunological problems connected with the experimental infection of laboratory animals with lice. It presents and recommends repelents against head lice, laser phototherapy in persons infected with crab lice, and other recognized methods of fighting pediculosis.
A total of 356 Dama dama individuals (about 20% of the population inhabiting Pomerania, Poland) were examined over a period of 6 years (1996-2001). The fallow deer were found to act as hosts for 8 parasitic arthropod species belonging to 4 orders: Diptera (Lipoptena cervi), Mallophaga (Damalinia meyeri), Anoplura (Solenopotes burmeisteri) and Acari (Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus, Sarcoptes scabiei, Chorioptes texanus, Demodex kutzeri). The extent of infestation was species-dependent; the highest prevalence (76%) was typical of L. cervi, followed by I. ricinus (29%) and D. meyeri (7%). On the other hand, the extent of infestation of small epidermal Acari was generally low, e.g., the prevalence of C. texanus did not exceed 1%. Despite the relatively high prevalences, the infestations were symptomless.
During the last century the recorded parasite fauna of Bison bonasus includes 88 species. These are 22 species of protozoa, 4 trematode species, 4 cestode species, 43 nematode species, 7 mites, 4 Ixodidae ticks, 1 Mallophaga species, 1 Anoplura, and 2 Hippoboscidae flies. There are few monoxenous parasites, the majority of parasites are typical for other Bovidae and Cervidae species and many are newly acquired from Cervidae. This is an evident increased trend in the parasite species richness, in both the prevalence and intensity of infections, which is associated with the bison population size, host status (captive breeding or free-ranging) and the possibility of contact with other ruminant species. In light of the changes to parasite species richness during the last decades, special emphasis shall be given to new parasite species reported in European bison, their pathogenicity and potential implications for conservation.
Remarcable morphological anomalies were observed in a female of Hoplopleura capitosa found on Mus musculus caught in Niemirówek, the Tomaszów district (Poland). The anomalies concerned the shape and chaetotaxis of some parapleural plates on the abdomen, constitute one of the basic taxonomical features of Anoplura.