94 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 134 
worm. U.S.S.R. (Sondak, 1935): In the 412 cockroaches examined, 
one egg was isolated from the rectum of a specimen caught in a 
dining room, 
Blattella germanica, U.S.S.R. (Sondak, 1935): In the 788 cock- 
roaches examined, one egg was found in the rectum of a specimen 
caught in a buffet. 
Periplaneta americana, Gold Coast Colony (Macfie, 1922): A 
single egg, indistinguishable from that of T. trichiura, was found in 1 
of 30 cockroaches captured in the laboratory, where there was little or 
no opportunity for the insects to feed on human feces. Formosa 
(Morischita and Tsuchimochi, 1926): Eggs of this worm were often 
found in the feces and intestinal contents of cockroaches in the animal 
house of the Government Research Institute. 
Experimental vectors.—Periplaneta americana, Gold Coast Colony 
(Macfie, 1922): Numerous eggs passed through the gut unharmed 
and appeared in the feces the next day; some of the eggs had devel- 
oped slightly. India, western Bengal (Chandler, 1926): After hav- 
ing fed on human feces containing Trichuris eggs (species not men- 
tioned but presumably trichiura), the cockroaches excreted small 
numbers of these eggs in their feces. 
Periplaneta americana, Periplaneta australasiae, and Neostylopyga 
rhombifolia, Formosa (Morischita and Tsuchimochi, 1926): In feed- 
ing experiments, 8 of 11 P. americana, all 7 P. australasiae, and 4 N. 
rhombifolia passed viable eggs the following day and for 3 days 
thereafter. 
PART If.” PATHOGENIC HELMINTHS FOR WHICH 
COCKROACHES SERVE AS INTERMEDIATE HOSTS 
Phylum ACANTHOCEPHALA 
Order ARCHIACANTHOCEPHALA 
Family OLIGACANTHORHYNCHIDAE 
Prosthenorchis elegans (Diesing, 1851) Travassos, 1915 
Disease.—Intestinal parasite of the definitive hosts. 
Natural intermediate hosts.—Blattella germanica, France (Brumpt 
and Urbain, 1938, 1938a; Brumpt et al., 1939): 40 percent of B. 
germanica in the monkey house of the Museum of Natural History 
of Paris were infected with larvae of P. elegans and P. spirula 
(Brumpt and Urbain, 1938, 1938a). A similar heavy infestation was 
found in cockroaches in the menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes, 
where many parasitized lemurs and monkeys died. The epizootics 
were stopped only by exterminating the cockroaches (Brumpt and 
Urbain, 1938a; Brumpt et al., 1939). 
