Search results for "Coccidiosis"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
The good, the bad and the ugly: Emys trinacris, Placobdella costata and Haemogregarina stepanowi in Sicily (Testudines, Annelida and Apicomplexa)
2016
Endemic Sicilian pond turtles Emys trinacris Fritz, Fattizzo, Guicking, Tripepi, Pennisi, Lenk, Joger et Wink were examined for the presence of haemogregarine parasites. The presence of haemogregarines, occurring mainly in the microgametocyte stage (13.2 ± 0.12 μm in length and 6.4 ± 0.52 μm in width), was observed in approximately 9% of the sampled E. trinacris. Based on the observed morphology and on the sequencing of nuclear 18S rDNA, we identified the parasite as Haemogregarina stepanowi Danilewsky, 1885. Morphometric study of uninfected and infected red blood cells has shown that H. stepanowi induces different changes in erythrocyte shape depending on the infective stage. The different…
Caution on the assessment of intestinal parasitic load in studying parasite-mediated sexual selection: the case of Blackbirds coccidiosis.
2009
6 pages; International audience; The parasite-mediated sexual selection (PMSS) theory has led to an increasing number of experimental studies essentially focussed on blood parasites. Currently, more research is being carried out on intestinal parasites in relationship to this theory. Before testing the theory with gastrointestinal parasites, it is important: (i) to determine an optimal research methodology to obtain an accurate assessment of parasite burden and (ii) to have information about life-history traits of the parasite to interpret data appropriately. In this study, we present data on oocyst output of Isosporaturdi in the faeces of blackbirds (Turdus merula) that illustrate the impo…
Eimeria-parasites are associated with a lowered mother's and offspring's body condition in island and mainland populations of the bank vole.
2006
This study, based on correlative data, tests the hypothesis that infections withEimeriaspp. parasites exert a significant loss of fitness of bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) reflected in lower reproductive success and survival, declining host population densities and are associated positively with population size. The study was conducted in 20 mainland and 27 island populations in central Finland during May–September in 1999. Faecal samples showed that 28% of 767 individuals were infected withEimeriaspp. The presence ofEimeriaparasites was higher in dense mainland populations than in sparsely populated islands. Eimerian infections increased during the course of the breeding season, prob…
Cyclospora cayetanensis: first imported infections in Germany.
1997
Over the last decade increasing numbers of enteritis cases have been attributed to infection with a new coccidian species that was named Cyclospora cayetanensis in 1993. Diarrhea caused by this agent is clinically indistinguishable from cryptosporidiosis, isosporiasis and microsporidiosis, but Cyclospora infections are often very prolonged (up to 15 weeks) and may cause severe weight loss. Diagnosis of infection is important because, in contrast to diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium and microsporidia, treatment with co-trimoxazole is effective. Here we report the cases of two female patients, aged 70 and 58 years old, respectively, who suffered from severe, prolonged diarrhea after a vacati…
Phenological and intrinsic predictors of mite and haemacoccidian infection dynamics in a Mediterranean community of lizards
2021
Ectotherms are vulnerable to environmental changes and their parasites are biological health indicators. Thus, parasite load in ectotherms is expected to show a marked phenology. This study investigates temporal host–parasite dynamics in a lizard community in Eastern Spain during an entire annual activity period. The hosts investigated were Acanthodactylus erythrurus, Psammodromus algirus and Psammodromus edwardsianus, three lizard species coexisting in a mixed habitat of forests and dunes, providing a range of body sizes, ecological requirements and life history traits. Habitat and climate were considered as potential environmental predictors of parasite abundance, while size, body conditi…
Inhibition of Eimeria tenella CDK-related kinase 2: From target identification to lead compounds.
2010
Apicomplexan parasites encompass several human- and animal-pathogenic protozoans such as Plasmodium falciparum, Toxoplasma gondii, and Eimeria tenella. E. tenella causes coccidiosis, a disease that afflicts chickens, leading to tremendous economic losses to the global poultry industry. The considerable increase in drug resistance makes it necessary to develop new therapeutic strategies against this parasite. Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are key molecules in cell-cycle regulation and are therefore prominent target proteins in parasitic diseases. Bioinformatics analysis revealed four potential CDK-like proteins, of which one—E. tenella CDK-related kinase 2 (EtCRK2)—has already been charact…