Site selection by intestinal helminths of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana)

Digestive tract helminths of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) we re examined for site specificity and interspecific interactions. Thirty opo ssums were live-trapped at 2 localities in Georgia, killed, and their diges tive tracts removed and divided into the following sections; esophagus, sto mach, small intestine (20 equal sections), cecum, and large intestine (5 eq ual sections). Helminths present in each section were identified and counte d. Three trematode, 1 cestode, 2 acanthocephala, and 6 nematode species wer e found. Two parasites (the acanthocephalan Centrorhynchus spinosus and the nematode Viannaia hamata) are new state records for Georgia and this is th e first report of C. spinosus from an opossum. There was considerable overl ap between the spatial distributions of many of the helminth species found in the small intestine though most species had different modal locations. H elminth species locations were unaffected by host sex or trapping locality. There was no evidence that the presence, absence, or intensity of any helm inth species affected the location or intensity of other helminth species i n the digestive tract.