Dr. Kassai Tibor - Dr. Murai Éva szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 10. (Budapest, 1977)

A. conicum was identical with P. microbothrium

. In his monograph NÂSMARK (1937) stated, after examination of LOOSS' s preparations and the material collected by the Swedish Sudan Expedition in Cairo (1901) that the whole material was P. microbothrium

. DINNIK (1961) obtained the same result after studying LeROUX' s collection originated from cattle and sheep slaughtered in Cairo abattoir. TADROS (1958) gave account of findings of "Paramphistomes" eggs in all species of domestic ruminants including camel as well. That was the first and only record on the occurrence of amphistomes in the camel. During our discussion on this question Mr. TADROS repeatedly confirmed that the three fluke specimens he kindly put at my disposal had been obtained from camel. By histological examination they all were identified as P. microbothrium (

Fig. 1) At the examination of ABDEL-GHANF s and EZZAT'

s "P. cervi

" specimens from cattle and from several wild ruminants these also proved to be P. microbothrium (Fig. 2) EZZAT (1945) published results of examination of rumen flukes of ungulates kept in the Zoo Garden, Cairo. He had found "

P. cervi" in several hosts but according to his personal communication (1973) of the hosts only Capra nubiana was of Egyptian origin. The opinions of some authors (EZZAT, 1945, 1949; ABDEL-GHANI, 1961) on the presence of P. cervi in Egypt might probably come from the fact that they did seemingly not consult former results and perhaps from the traditional view that P. cervi is a species of wide or cosmopolitan distribution. The species that was confused by the above mentioned authors with P. cervi is, by all probability, P. microbothrium

. This flows from the followings. The authors (NASMARK, 1937; DINNIK, 1961; SEY, 1976) who carried out histological examination of the muscular organs could not reveal P. cervi. EZZAT' s (1945) drawing on the genital atrium of "

P. cervi" shows more similarities to the Microbothrium than the Gracile type. The intermediate host of P. microbothrium is Bulinus truncatus in the Mediterranean area while P. cervi develops in different Planorbid snails. Amphistome cercariae have been found in B. truncatus several times in Egypt (EL-GHINDY et RUSHDI, 1962, 1963 - indicated as cercariae of "

P. cervi"). On the other hand, no records on Planorbid snails harbouring amphistome cercariae are available (EL-GHINDY, 1961). In order to improve the standard of milk and meat production cattle are being imported from Europe to Egypt (SELIM et al. 1963), thus the possibility of the introduction of P. cervi does exist. It is very probable, however, that owing to the absence of adequate intermediate host(s) P. cervi couldn't establish itself in Egypt. Besides gross morphological features P. cervi and P. microbothrium can easily be distinguished on the basis of histology of the muscular organs. The pharynx of P. cervi is of the Liorchis (Fig. 3) and the genital atrium is of the Gracile (Fig. 5) type. The same organs incase of P. microbothrium are of Calicophoron (Fig. 4) and Microbothrium (Figs 1 and 2) types. The acetabulum is of Paramphistomum type (Fig. 6) in both species. Figs 1 and 2: Paramphistomum microbothrium: genital atrium of specimens from Camelus dromedarius (1) and Capra nubiana (2); Microbothrium type. Fig. 3: Pharynx Liorchis type Fig. 4: Pharynx Paramphistomum type Fig. 5: Genital atrium Gracile type Fig. 6: Acetabulum Paramphistomum type (Photo: O. Sey)