The aim of this study was to determine the presence of the hyperparasitic fungus Arthrorhynchus nycteribiae and to analyze its spatio-temporal pattern in the two bat flies (Penicillidia conspicua and P. dufourii) parasitizing on bats. We collected 612 samples of bat flies from 400 bats in 20 caves in the Central Balkans. Hyperparasite was identified based on morphological and molecular analyses of rDNA genes (LSU and SSU). A. nycteribiae was reported for the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, and confirmed in Serbia. Of the 20 sites examined, we found A. nycteribiae at 11 sites. The prevalence of A. nycteribiae infection in the bats examined was approximately 17%. Miniopterus schreibersii harbored the highest number of bat flies and was the only bat species hosting the infected bat flies of the species P. conspicua. Our results showed significant differences in infection patterns during the different seasons: the highest prevalence of bat flies with hyperparasitic fungi was found in the summer season (23%) and the lowest in spring (2%). Female bat fly hosts showed a significantly higher prevalence of infection than male bat flies. This study makes an important contribution to the knowledge of the distribution of A. nycteribiae and to the understanding of complex parasite-host relationships in the poorly studied areas of the Central Balkans.

DoiFil - Repository of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) Issued by Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade

Non-harmful adhesive tape method was applied directly on the skin surface of edible frog (Pelophylax kl. esculentus), captured in vernal ponds on the locality ?Stevanove ravnice? within the Special Nature Reserve ?Deliblatska pescara?, in order to detect fungal dwellers of frogs? skin. Light microscopy analyses of Lactophenol Cotton Blue mounted adhesive tape samples taken from frog?s ventrum revealed the presence of melanized septate hyphae, branched conidiophores with chains of single-celled ovoid conidia, arising directly from the skin, which corresponds to morphological features of dematiaceous hyphomycete - Fonsecaea sp. Since members of genus Fonsecaea are frequently cited as causative agents of chromomycosis in amphibians, as well as human phaeohyphomycosis, world?wide, it is of great significance to study the presence of this fungal pathogen on amphibians in Serbia in order to make the basic reference data of the incidence of these pathogens in this region.

DoiFil - Repository of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) Issued by Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade

Body condition is an important indicator in many ecological studies since it is expected that individuals and populations perform better in habitats more suitable for species. A wide range of metrics have been proposed as condition indices. In this study, we estimated the phenotypic condition of water frog species using the residual condition index. The study was carried out in three localities adjacent to nature preserves in South Banat, Serbia and with different levels of preserved natural features and anthropogenic pressure. Selected localities are typical habitats of water frogs with two parental and their hemiclonal hybrid species present. The localities were scored for suitability of the aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Statistical significance of residual condition index patterns from a multiway ANOVA was obtained for locality but not for species and sex. The lowest condition index was observed in frogs sampled from a locality maintained by human activity and with the lowest habitat suitability. Furthermore, the highest body condition index was obtained on the locality with the highest habitat suitability. One of the parental species, P. ridibundus had the highest overall body condition index while the hybrid species (P. esculentus) had the lowest. None of the three species from the complex had the highest body condition in all three localities, nor the worst.

In Serbia, human echinococcosis cases are predominantly diagnosed as the cystic form, caused by Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s. l.) complex tapeworms. Alveolar echinococcosis, a more severe disease caused by Echinococcus multilocularis, emerged recently. Domestic dogs have been implicated in the transmission of E. granulosus sensu stricto G1/3 to humans. In an ongoing screening of definitive hosts for the presence of Echinococcus spp. to discover reservoirs of E. multilocularis, fecal samples of hunting (n = 29) and stray dogs (n = 66) were examined. Taeniid eggs were collected using flotation and mesh filtration. The presence of Cyclophyllidea, E. granulosus s. l. and E. multilocularis DNA was detected by specific PCR assays. In total, 60% of the fecal samples contained cyclophyllidean DNA, while Echinococcus spp. DNA was detected in 7.4% of the samples. E. canadensis G6–8,10 DNA was present in 4.2% and E. multilocularis in 3.2% of the samples. E. multilocularis DNA was detected only in stray dog feces, suggesting that strays are a reservoir and possibly an important link in the transmission chain. To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first molecular identification of Echinococcus spp. in dogs in Serbia.