72 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. 1, April, 1947 
Parasites of Cattle 
protozoa 
Four species of coccidia, Eimeria cylin- 
drica Wilson, E. bovis Zublin, E. zurnii 
Rivolta, and E. bukidnonensis Tubangui, 
have been recovered from the feces of young 
calves (Cuckler and Alicata, 1943). Al¬ 
though no severe cases of bovine coccidiosis 
have been recorded in the Islands, reports 
elsewhere indicate that infection may pro¬ 
duce bloody diarrhea and emaciation. 
ROUNDWORMS 
In a recent survey involving the examina¬ 
tion of about 375 cattle raised on various 
islands and slaughtered in Honolulu, the 
following percentages of roundworm infec¬ 
tions were found (Cuckler and Alicata, 
1943): gullet worms, Gongylonema pul- 
chrum Molin, 54.3 per cent; stomach worms, 
Haemonchus contortus (Rudolphi), 0.9 per 
cent; intestinal roundworms, Bunostomum 
phlebotomum (Railliet), 6.7 percent; Coop - 
eria punctata (v. Linstow), 4.0 per cent; 
C. pectinata Ransom, 0.3 per cent; and the 
skin filarid, Stephanofilaria stilesi Chitwood, 
89.8 per cent. Eggs of Trichuris ovis (Abild- 
gaard) and Strongyloides sp. (probably 
S. papillosus) have at times been found in 
the feces of cattle in Hawaii. 
The intestinal roundworm, Oesophago- 
stomum radiatum (Rudolphi), and the lung- 
worm, Dhtyocaulus viviparus (Bloch), have 
also been noted by the writer. Lungworm 
infection is believed to be of considerable 
importance, especially among calves, in some 
sections of the Islands, and deaths resulting 
from this parasite have been recorded (Wil- 
lers, 1945). 
Of the above roundworms, Stephanofilaria 
stilesi and Gongylonema pulchrum require 
an intermediate host in their development. 
The intermediate host for S. stilesi is un¬ 
known. G. pulchrum is known to utilize one 
of various coprophagous beetles and roaches 
as intermediate host in continental United 
States (Alicata, 1935). Of insects reported 
as hosts, Aphodius lividus (Oliv.), Dermes- 
tes vulpinus Fabricius, and Blattella german- 
ica (Linn.) occur in Hawaii. 
FLUKES 
Two species of flukes have been recorded 
from cattle in the Islands. One species con¬ 
sists of an unidentified rumen fluke reported 
by Hall (1936), and the other species is the 
liver fluke, Fasciola gigantica Cobbold. 
Liver-fluke infection is the most important 
parasitic disease of beef and dairy cattle. In¬ 
fection with this parasite was first reported 
by Dr. A. Lutz (1892) as being common on 
four of the larger islands. Although at that 
time the parasites were reported as Fasciola 
hepatica Linn., more recent study has shown 
them to be F. gigantica (Alicata and Swan¬ 
son, 1937). The importation of this fluke 
into Hawaii is not clearly understood, but it 
is believed to have come from the Orient 
with the introduction of water buffaloes. It 
is of interest to note that the limnaeid snail, 
Fossaria ollula (Gould), which serves as the 
intermediate host, has Japan and China as its 
geographic range (Alicata, 1938^). This 
snail is widely distributed in Hawaii and is 
common in streams and swampy lowlands. 
The maintenance of fluke infection in Ha¬ 
waii, as elsewhere, is dependent on various 
factors of which topography, climatic condi¬ 
tions, and agricultural practices are very im¬ 
portant. The Hawaiian Islands represent the 
summits of a 2,000-mile range of volcanic 
mountains which vary from coastal to centric 
or eccentric in position. The mountains de¬ 
scend to the ocean abruptly, in steep walls 
or by gradual transition over relatively flat 
land with very little drainage. These poorly 
drained lowlands and valleys, especially on 
the windward side, often present rather ex¬ 
tensive swamps. Rainfall is most prevalent 
in winter months, but showers during other 
seasons of the year are sufficient to maintain 
swampy conditions. These wet areas and the 
mild Hawaiian climate encourage snail prop- 
