Search results for "host-parasite"
showing 10 items of 355 documents
Being successful in the world of narrow opportunities: transmission patterns of the trematode Ichthyocotylurus pileatus.
2009
SUMMARYParasites with complex life cycles face 2 major challenges for transmission in northern latitudes. They have to cope with the general unpredictability associated with the series of transmission events required for completion of the cycle, and transmission has to be completed within a narrow temporal window because of strong seasonality. Despite this, some parasites show high transmission success, suggesting the operation of effective transmission mechanisms. We explored the transmission of Ichthyocotylurus pileatus (Trematoda) from its snail (Valvata macrostoma) to fish (Perca fluviatilis) hosts by examining some key characteristics in the dynamics of the cercarial emergence from sna…
Halfway up the trophic chain: development of parasite communities in the sparid fish Boops boops
2007
SUMMARYWe examined the patterns of composition and structure of parasite communities in the Mediterranean sparid fish Boops boops along a gradient of fish sizes, using a large sample from a single population. We tested the hypothesis that species forming the core of the bogue parasite fauna (i.e. species which have a wide geographical range and are responsible for recognizable community structure) appear early in the fish ontogeny. The sequential community development observed supported the prediction that core species appear in the fish population earlier than rare and stochastic species. There was also a strong correlation between the order of ‘arrival’ of the species and their overall pr…
Sympatric and allopatric experimental infections of the planorbid snail Gyraulus chinensis with miracidia of Euparyphium albuferensis (Trematoda: Ech…
2010
AbstractAn experimental infection with echinostomatid miracidia in sympatric or ‘local’ vs. allopatric or ‘away’ snail combinations, as a model to examine parasite compatibility, was carried out. We employedEuparyphium albuferensismiracidia to infectGyraulus chinensissnails, from three different natural parks: Albufera (Valencia, Spain); the Ebro Delta (Tarragona, Spain) and Coto de Doñana (Huelva, Spain). Insignificant differences between the three snail strains were noted for the infection rate and the rhythm of daily cercarial production. However, a significantly higher total cercarial production per snail, patent period and life span were observed in local snails. The different infectio…
Biological invasion and parasitism: invaders do not suffer from physiological alterations of the acanthocephalan Pomphorhynchus laevis.
2009
SUMMARYBiological invasions expose parasites to new invasive hosts in addition to their local hosts. However, local parasites are often less successful in infecting and exploiting their new hosts. This may have major consequences for the competitive ability of hosts, and finally on the fate of the parasite-host community. In Burgundy (Eastern France), the acanthocephalan parasite,Pomphorhynchus laevis, infects 2 amphipod species living in sympatry: the nativeGammarus pulexand the invasiveGammarus roeseli. WhileP. laevisaffects the behaviour and the immunity ofG. pulex,G. roeseliseems unaffected by the infection. In this study, we examined in detail the ability of the parasite to affect the …
Low parasitism rates in parthenogenetic bagworm moths do not support the parasitoid hypothesis for sex
2012
The parasite hypothesis for sex is one of the many theories that have been suggested to solve the mystery of the widespread occurrence of sex despite its high short-term costs. It suggests that sexual lineages have an evolutionary advantage over parthenogens because they can frequently generate new genotypes that are temporarily less prone to coevolving parasites. In this study, we looked for further supporting evidence for the parasite hypothesis of sex in an attempt to understand the coexistence of sexual and parthenogenetic bagworm moths (Naryciinae). The bagworm moths and their parasitoids form one of the few natural host-parasite systems where sexual and parthenogenetic hosts are appar…
Reviewing lymnaeid vectors of fascioliasis by ribosomal DNA sequence analyses.
2005
AbstractSnails of the family Lymnaeidae are of great parasitological importance due to the numerous helminth species they transmit, mainly trematodiases (such as fascioliasis) of considerable medical and veterinary impact. The present knowledge of the genetics and host–parasite relationships of this gastropod group is far from adequate. Fascioliasis is caused by two species, Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica, which, as in the case of other trematodes, show a marked snail host specificity. Many lymnaeid species involved in fascioliasis transmission still show a confused systematic-taxonomic status. The need for tools to distinguish and characterize species and populations of lymnaeids is ev…
The parasite's long arm: a tapeworm parasite induces behavioural changes in uninfected group members of its social host.
2015
Parasites can induce alterations in host phenotypes in order to enhance their own survival and transmission. Parasites of social insects might not only benefit from altering their individual hosts, but also from inducing changes in uninfected group members. Temnothorax nylanderi ant workers infected with the tapeworm Anomotaenia brevis are known to be chemically distinct from nest-mates and do not contribute to colony fitness, but are tolerated in their colonies and well cared for. Here, we investigated how tapeworm- infected workers affect colony aggression by manipulating their presence in ant colonies and analysing whether their absence or presence resulted in behavioural alterations in…
Intermediate hosts of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in Tenerife, Spain.
2015
The nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis is the causative agent of human angiostrongy- liasis, the main clinical manifestation of which is eosinophilic meningitis. Although this para- site has been found recently in its definitive rat host in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain), showing a widespread distribution over the north-east part of the island, there are no avail- able data regarding which snail and/or slug species are acting as intermediate hosts on this island. Consequently, the objective of this work was to determine the possible role of three mollusc species, Plutonia lamarckii , Cornu aspersum and Theba pisana , as intermediate hosts of A . cantonensis in Tenerife. Between 2011 and…
Follow-up trends of parasite community alteration in a marine fish after the Prestige oil-spill: shifting baselines?
2008
This study evaluates the follow-up trends in the composition and structure of the parasite communities in the marine sparid Boops boops after the Prestige oil-spill. A total of 400 fish comprising 11 seasonal samples was analyzed from three impacted localities on the Atlantic coast of Spain. A large number of parasite species was recovered only after the spill thus suggesting a substantial alteration of the marine food webs. Post-spill communities exhibited higher richness and abundance due to the significant changes in the abundance of the common species, the latter indicating accelerated parasite transmission rates. Multivariate analyses at two nested scales detected a directional trend i…
Host specificity of Argulus coregoni (Crustacea: Branchiura) increases at maturation.
2007
SUMMARYWe tested the hypothesis that host specificity in ectoparasites does not depend exclusively on the features of the host but also on surrounding habitats, using 2 fish ectoparasites, Argulus coregoni and A. foliaceus (Crustacea: Branchiura), occurring sympatrically in Finnish lakes. Although these parasites are considered to be of low specificity, we found that the larger of the 2 species, A. coregoni developed a pronounced preference for salmonid hosts at the beginning of maturation (defined by the presence of copulating specimens). Argulus foliaceus infects a much wider range of fish hosts. We showed that specialization of A. coregoni on salmonids does not necessarily result from in…