EXPERIMENTAL-INFECTION OF CONTRACAECUM-MULTIPAPILLATUM (NEMATODA, ANISAKINAE) FROM MEXICO IN THE DOMESTIC CAT

Juveniles of Contracaecum multipapillatum infected the Mayan cichlid ( Cichlasoma urophthalmus) and adults infected the olivaceous cormorant (Phalacrocorax olivaceus) and the great egret (Casmerodius albus) in t he coastal lagoon at Celestun, State of Yucatan, Mexico. All are new h ost records, and, even though the geographic locality record of Mexico for the species has not been published, unidentified but presumably c onspecific specimens have been reported from there. When juveniles of C. multipapillatum were fed to a kitten, but not rats, ducks, or chick ens, they developed into adults. Measurements and morphological data a re provided on the specimens from the kitten. Development of an avian ascaridoid in the intestine of a mammal increases the potential of thi s widespread species to infect other mammals, including humans.