Search results for "apicomplexa"
showing 5 items of 15 documents
Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence varies by cat breed.
2017
Toxoplasma gondii is a widespread zoonotic parasite that is relevant for veterinary and public health. The domestic cat, the definitive host species with the largest worldwide population, has become evolutionarily and epidemiologically the most important host of T. gondii. The outcome of T. gondii infection is influenced by congenital and acquired host characteristics. We detected differences in T. gondii seroprevalence by cat breed in our previous studies. The aims of this study were to estimate T. gondii seroprevalence in selected domestic cat breeds, and to evaluate whether being of a certain breed is associated with T. gondii seropositivity, when the age and lifestyle of the cat are tak…
Friend or foe? The apparent benefits of gregarine (Apicomplexa: Sporozoa) infection in the European earwig
2020
International audience; Studying the costs and benefits of host-parasite interactions is of central importance to shed light on the evolutionary drivers of host life history traits. Although gregarines (Apicomplexa: Sporozoa) are one of the most frequent parasites in the gut of invertebrates, the diversity of its potential impacts on a host remains poorly explored. In this study, we addressed this gap in knowledge by investigating the prevalence of natural infections by the gregarine Gregarina ovata and testing how these infections shape a large set of morphological, behavioural and physiological traits in the European earwig Forficula auricularia. Our results first show that G. ovata was p…
Circadian variation in shedding of the oocysts of Isospora turdi (Apicomplexa) in blackbirds (Turdus merula): an adaptative trait against desiccation…
2009
5 pages; International audience; Many parasite species spend part of their life cycle in the external environment waiting for a new host. Emergence of parasites often occurs once a day, which may help to minimise mortality in an inhospitable environment and increase transition rates. Many intestinal parasites in birds are released in faeces only in the late afternoon. However, the adaptative significance of this pattern is unclear. One hypothesis is that a particular time of emergence may prevent parasite desiccation and therefore increase the parasite's life expectancy in the external environment. We tested this hypothesis experimentally using the blackbird (Turdus merula) infected with Is…
Interactions between bacteria and Cryptosporidium molnari in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) under farm and laboratory conditions
2006
The possible interaction of Cryptosporidium molnari and bacteria in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) was studied. Epidemiological data from a pathological survey under farm conditions were analyzed. In addition, parasite and bacteria burdens were studied in experimental models in which naturally and experimentally parasitized fish were challenged with a particular strain of Vibrio harveyi (H57). All the bacteria species present were studied. Under farm conditions, the parasite was more prevalent when mortality or morbidity cases (study C) occurred than in randomly sampled fish (study B). In study C, parasite abundance was significantly higher in bacteria-negative fish, and total bacteria …
Droplet digital PCR as a tool for investigating dynamics of cryptic symbionts
2021
Abstract Interactions among symbiotic organisms and their hosts are major drivers of ecological and evolutionary processes. Monitoring the infection patterns among natural populations and identifying factors affecting these interactions are critical for understanding symbiont–host relationships. However, many of these interactions remain understudied since the knowledge about the symbiont species is lacking, which hinders the development of appropriate tools. In this study, we developed a digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) assay based on apicomplexan COX1 gene to detect an undescribed agamococcidian symbiont. We show that the method gives precise and reproducible results and enables detecting cryp…