Mercury, lead and cadmium concentrations in Talpa occidentalis and in their digeneans of the genus Ityogonimus

Many parasites living in aquatic ecosystems are useful indicators of environmental health. On the other hand, information is scarcer with respect to the use of helminth parasites of vertebrates living in terrestrial ecosystems as monitoring tools for toxic element environmental pollution. The present study evaluates the suitability of the model Talpa occidentalis/Ityogonimus spp. as a bioindicator system for mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) contamination in agricultural soils from Asturias (Spain). Kidney and liver samples collected from T. occidentalis specimens (n = 36) and Ityogonimus spp. samples collected from 14 infected hosts were analyzed by ICP-MS. The highest mean levels o…