December, 1956]
GOBIND
SINGH
THAPAR
229
It would, thus, appear that in giving the above new records of the occurrence
of the helminth parasites in domesticated animals in the area under review, the
following points stand out prominently. Homalogaster paloniae, a common parasite
of the buffaloes and cattle has been recovered also from goats in Shillong (Assam).
Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus and Pseudodiscus collinsi, two common parasites of horses
are being reported for the first time from cattle in India. This occurrence is unique,
as it is generally believed that none of the parasites of horses are found in other
domestic animals and man, and vice versa in spite of their close association from times
immemorial and this falsifies the universally accepted principle.
Fasciola hepatica, a common parasite of cattle, sheep and goats in Europe and
other Western countries, is of rare occurrence in India, a single specimen being
recovered from the liver of cattle in Cuttack (Orissa). The form generally found
in India is Fasciola gigantica originally reported from Africa by Cobbold [1855].
Kemp [1919] recorded its occurrence for the first time in Seistan (Asia) from sheep.
He, in his description, gave the distinguishing features of this species as against F.
hepatica. Varma [1953], without reference to this work, assigned this Asiatic form
under a new designation, Fasciola indica, basing his conclusions on the examination
of the material collected by him from India from goats and buffaloes and also from
the materials made available to him at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine. He distinguished this new form mainly on the nature of the cuticular
scales, size of the eggs and the presence of a post-buccal ring. If his contention of
creating a new species is accepted, the form reported in this survey as Fasciola
gigantica would naturally fall under F. indica. One point which has been overlooked
by either of the two observers who have described this form under two different
names for the form recovered by them respectively is the presence of several rows
of spines on the cirrus. The cirrus is always armed in the Indian species.
A new genus, Olveria, with two species has also been reported and described
from cattle and buffaloes in India. Paramphistomum gotoi, a rare parasite reported
so far from the Far East by Fukui [1926] and later by Dawes [1936] from Malaya,
has also been recovered from the buffaloes in Lucknow on several occasions and
appears to be fairly common in this country.
MULTIPLE INFECTIONS
It is worthwhile to mention that during the course of our survey of helminth
parasites, several cases of multiple infections, i.e. the occurrence of two or more
species of worms infesting the same organ of the same individual host, were observed.
This multiplicity of parasites infecting the same organ in the body of the same host
further undermines the health of the host and deserves special consideration. The
details of such cases of multiple infections of helminths in the ruminants are given
below:
1. Fasciola gigantica occurring along with :
(a) Paramphistomum cervi—in the liver of cattle and buffaloes
(b) Schistosoma indicum—in the liver of buffaloes
(c) S. bovis—in the liver of cattle