saqarTvelos mecnierebaTa erovnuli akademiis moambe, t. 9, #3, 2015 BULLETIN OF THE GEORGIAN NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, vol. 9, no. 3, 2015 © 2015 Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci. Parasitology and Helminthology The Endoparasites (Pentastomida, Nematoda) of African Rock Python (Python sebae Gmelin, 1788) in Tbilisi Zoological Park Lali Murvanidze * , Tsitsino Lomidze * , Ketevan Nikolaishvili * *Institute of Zoology, Ilia State University, Tbilisi (Presented by Academy Member Irakli Eliava) ABSTRACT. The paper presents the data on the helminthological investigation conducted in 2010 and 2013 on two African rock pythons (Python sebae Gmelin, 1788) from Tansania preserved in Tbilisi Zoological Park. The material was supplied by the staff of the veterinary service of the Tbilisi Zoological Park. Three species of endoparasites were revealed in internal organs of the python, which died in 2010: the pentastome Armillifer armillatus (Wyman, 1848) - in the lung, and two species of ascaridoid nema- todes were revealed in digestive system: Ophidascaris filaria (Dujardin, 1845) - in gastric mucous layer and Polydelphis attenuata (Molin, 1858) Baylis,1921, in the intestine. The 13 individuals of P. attenuata (Molin, 1858) Baylis, 1921 were withdrawn from other python organism in 2013 as a result of dehelminthization. Description of parasites was made on the basis of morphological and morphometric data, obtained from both living material and fixed preparations. It is advisable to undertake special safety precautions to the captured animals in order to avoid lethal outcomes, caused by helminths in pythons living in isolation in zoological parks. Animals, newly introduced to zoological parks, should necessarily be subjected to dehelminthization and further parasitological monitoring. As there is a threat of disease with pentastomiasis the staff nurses, working in the terrarium, people under the risk should necessarily follow the safety precautions. © 2015 Bull. Georg. Natl. Acad. Sci. Key words: African Rock Python (Python sebae), Armillifer armillatus, Ophidascaris filaria, Polydelphis attenuata. Pythons, like other species of reptiles are intermediate, paratenic or definite hosts of a series of endoparastites. Life mode of pythons in terrain and aquatic ecosystems, versatile food chains, make preconditions for getting the eggs or larvae of helminths into their organism. Infestation of the Python sebae with helminths in Africa is associated by Aruo [1] with consumption of amphibians and small mammals, living on the territory, adjacent to the water reservoir, which are intermediate hosts or carriers of these helminths. Pythons, introduced to zoological parks from natural coenoses often have serious diseases. They are often infested with zooparasites of epizootic significance, which may cause even death of the host organism. At the same time, it should be considered that pythons,