Search results for "Parasite"

New distributional data on Haemogregarina stepanowi (Apicomplexa) and Placobdella costata (Hirudinea) parasitising the Sicilian pond turtle Emys trin…

2022

The host-parasite system "Emys trinacris - Placobdella costata - Haemogregarina stepanowi"is known for Sicily, but scarce information is available to date about the distribution of the two parasites P. costata and H. stepanowi on the island. Therefore, an extensive sampling effort through visual census and collection and analysis of blood smears of the endemic Sicilian pond turtle E. trinacris was carried out in 46 water bodies scattered throughout mainland Sicily. Our findings revealed that the distribution of both parasites is limited to the Nebrodi area, where the infection of H. stepanowi has shown a high incidence on the local turtle populations. Our data suggest no correlation between…

Phylogeny, epidemiology and microhabitat preferences of lungworms (Pseudaliidae) in cetaceans from teh Western Mediterranean

2023

A pesar de tener una cierta reputación negativa, los parásitos pueden ofrecer una información importante sobre sus hospedadores, habiendo sido reconocidos como herramientas valiosas en varios estudios que investigan el comportamiento (Balbuena y Raga 1991), la salud (Aznar et al. 2005; Gkafas et al. 2020), la dieta (Dailey y Otto 1982), la migración (Ten et al. 2022), la estructura social (Balbuena et al. 1995) o la discriminación de stocks de cetáceos (Aznar et al. 1995). Los helmintos que parasitan a los cetáceos se pueden separar en cuatro grupos distintos: acantocéfalos (20 spp.), cestodos (38 spp.), digeneos (54 spp.) y nematodos (62 spp.). De éstos, los nematodos son los más diversos …

CLIMATE CHANGES AND NEMATODES: EXPECTED EFFECTS AND PERSPECTIVES FOR PLANT PROTECTION

2011

Some factors interfering with plant protection from phytoparasitic nematodes are reviewed in the light of changes brought about by the global warming in action. The mechanisms mainly concern changes in temperature and water regimes. The effects of climate changes on the epidemiology and management of the main phytoparasitic species occurring in Mediterranean environments include the alteration of the reproductive cycles due to plants productivity, the geographic dispersion by more northern or higher altitude shifts, the spread of vectors. Other related indirect mechanisms are feedback effects due to the reactions of cultivated species or weeds, and those related to natural enemies. The pote…

Microorganisms and Biotic Interactions

2014

SPE IPM; Most ecosystems are populated by a large number of diversified microorganisms, which interact with one another and form complex interaction networks. In addition, some of these microorganisms may colonize the surface or internal parts of plants and animals, thereby providing an additional level of interaction complexity. These microbial relations range from intraspecific to interspecific interactions, and from simple short-term interactions to intricate long-term ones. They have played a key role in the formation of plant and animal kingdoms, often resulting in coevolution; they control the size, activity level, and diversity patterns of microbial communities. Therefore, they modul…

The occurrence of Echinorhynchus salmonis Müller, 1784 in benthic amphipods in the Baltic Sea

2015

The acanthocephalan Echinorhynchus salmonis Muller, 1784 is a common parasite of salmonid fish, but it has rarely been reported from an intermediate host. Samples of benthic amphipods, Monoporeia affinis (Lindstrom), were taken from multiple, deep sites (usually below 70 m) in the Gulf of Bothnia over the course of more than a decade and examined for acanthocephalans. Overall, only 0.44% of 23 296 amphipods were infected, all with just a single worm. This prevalence is consistent with several previous reports of acanthocephalans in deep-water, benthic amphipods, but it appears low compared to that often reported for acanthocephalan species infecting littoral amphipods. Parasite occurrence d…

Diplostomiasis ( Diplostomum spathaceum and related species).

2020

This book chapter describes various aspects of diplostomiasis caused by Diplostomum spathaceum: diagnosis, epidemiology, life cycle, transmission, developmental stages, population dynamics, effects of climate change on parasite distribution, and disease control and prevention. peerReviewed

Opposing health effects of hybridization for conservation

2021

The continuing decline of many natural plant and animal populations emphasizes the importance of conservation strategies. Hybridization as a management tool has proven successful in introducing gene flow to small, inbred populations, but can be also associated with health risks. For example, hybridization can change susceptibility to infection in either direction due to heterosis (hybrid vigor) and outbreeding depression, but such health effects have rarely been considered in the genetic management of populations. Here, we investigated the effects of experimental outcrossing between the critically endangered Saimaa landlocked salmon (Salmo salar m. sebago) and the genetically more diverse A…

A stoichiometric perspective on host-parasite interactions

2013

The impact of variable hatching rates on parasite control: a model of an aquatic ectoparasite in a Finnish fish farm

2006

Summary 1 Many parasites of medical and veterinary importance infect via free-living stages that undergo a period of development in the environment before seeking a host. Frequently, considerable variation is observed in the development rates of these stages, such that some individuals may be considered to occupy distinct subpopulations, similar to a plant's seed bank. Under certain conditions, these subpopulations may act as a reservoir for the parasite, buffering it from the impact of management strategies and reducing control success. 2 We assessed the impact of intraspecific variation in development rates on parasite control by developing a population dynamic model of the ectoparasite A…

Phenotypic tradeoffs between egg number and egg size in three parasitic anisakid nematodes

2007

Phenotypic tradeoffs between number and size of eggs were tested in three component populations of three marine anisakid nematodes: Anisakis simplex, Pseudoterranova decipiens and Contracaecum osculatum. Body and uterine volumes (as proxies of female size), and egg number, mean egg volume and clutch volume (as descriptors of reproductive output) were measured in 50 females of each species. Evidence of a phenotypic tradeoff was detected only in A. simplex; the first time that has been found in a parasite population. Comparison of feasible values inferred from the van Noordwijk and de Jong's model and current data showed that interindividual variation in egg size was narrower than expected in…