The helminth fauna from 124 water-rats,
Hydromys chrysogaster, collected from 33 localities in
Queensland was analysed. A total of 45 species of helminths was found,
comprising 2 acanthocephalans, 2 cestodes, 13 nematodes and 28 trematodes. The
helminth community of the water-rats in the region north of latitude 18˚
(far north) was different from that of water-rats south of 18˚ (central);
Sorensen’s Index 45·8% similarity, whereas Holmes and
Podesta’s Index gave 32·1% similarity. Comparisons with
data from water-rats from southern and Tasmanian regions showed that they were
different from each other and from both Queensland regions. The helminth
communities were characterised by high diversity, dominated by trematodes in
the central and Tasmanian regions, but with nematodes becoming more prominent
in the far northern and southern regions. No core or secondary species were
found in the Queensland helminth communities, the southern community was
suggestive of a bimodal distribution and the Tasmanian had two core species. A
checklist of helminth species occurring in water-rats from eastern Australia
is provided.
Purification and characterization of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase from the parasitic helminth Ascaris suum.
