@article {4978, title = {Studies on the helminth parasites of bats in Egypt and the factors influencing their occurrence with particular reference to digenetic trematodes}, journal = {Z. Parasitenkd.}, volume = {51}, number = {1}, year = {1976}, month = {1976a}, pages = {37-47}, abstract = {The results of the helminthological examination of 1264 bats belonging to eight different species collected from different localities in Egypt are presented and analysed. The species of bats included Rousettus aegyptiacus aegyptiacus, Rhinopoma hardwickei cystops, Rhinopoma microphyllum, Taphozous nudiventris nudiventris, Nycteris thebaica, Rhinolophus clivosus brachygnathus, Otonycteris hemprichi and Asellia tridens tridens. An attempt has been made to study the factors influencing the host-parasite system particularly host specificity, diet and sex of the host and the interrelationship between individual members of the parasitic fauna. 108 fruit bats, Rousettus aegyptiacus aegyptiacus, did not harbour any parasites, but seven other species of bats were infected with different helminth parasites. The incidence of helminths was almost equal in males and females of two species of bats, but in another species the incidence was higher in females than males. Strict host specificity was not a marked feature of trematode infections but a definite preference of certain genera of trematodes to certain species of bats was observed. Infections with trematodes, cestodes and nematodes were found in some cases to be antagonistic to each other. Similarly, infections with certain trematode genera were found to be antagonistic to infection with other genera but this antagonism appears to be dependent on the species of the host involved. On the contrary, certain genera of trematodes occurred only in the presence of other genera of parasites.}, keywords = {Asellia tridens, Chiroptera, Egypt, Emballonuridae, endoparasites, Hipposideridae, North Africa, Nycteridae, Nycteris thebaica, Otonycteris hemprichii, parasitism, Pteropodidae, Rhinolophidae, Rhinolophus clivosus brachygnathus, Rhinopoma cystops, Rhinopoma microphyllum, Rhinopomatidae, Rousettus aegyptiacus, Taphozous nudiventris, Vespertilionidae}, author = {Saoud, M. F. A. and Ramadan, M. M.} }