Search results for "parasite"
showing 10 items of 827 documents
Increased Parasite Abundance Associated with Reproductive Maturity of the Clam Anodonta piscinalis
1999
Several studies on vertebrates have demonstrated that reproductive activities may increase the parasite load, but this has not been shown in invertebrate hosts. We studied abundance of a potentially harmful gill parasite, the ergasilid copepod Paraergasilus rylovi, from the freshwater bivalve host Anodonta piscinalis in relation to reproductive maturity of the host in the field. Prevalence of this previously unstudied parasite varied from 90 to 100%, and the mean parasite abundance from 16.3 to 28.8 among 3 study populations. Abundance of P. rylovi increased with host size. In the maturating age groups (3-5 yr) the length-adjusted mean parasite abundance among mature, reproducing female cla…
Phage-driven loss of virulence in a fish pathogenic bacterium
2012
Parasites provide a selective pressure during the evolution of their hosts, and mediate a range of effects on ecological communities. Due to their short generation time, host-parasite interactions may also drive the virulence of opportunistic bacteria. This is especially relevant in systems where high densities of hosts and parasites on different trophic levels (e.g. vertebrate hosts, their bacterial pathogens, and virus parasitizing bacteria) co-exist. In farmed salmonid fingerlings, Flavobacterium columnare is an emerging pathogen, and phage that infect F. columnare have been isolated. However, the impact of these phage on their host bacterium is not well understood. To study this, four s…
Capacity of Gentamicin-Treated Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Induce Granulocyte Locomotion
1982
In protection against an invading parasite the host’s granulocytes play an essential role. To exert their defense the phagocytes have to be attracted to the site of parasite invasion. We have shown that Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and other clinical isolates of this species can induce granulocyte migration, either directly or via generation of chemotactic activity in serum [1].
Climate warming and disease risks in temperate regions – Argulus coregoni and Diplostomum spathaceum as case studies
2006
AbstractThe link between climate changes and disease risks from various pathogens has been increasingly recognized. The effect of climatic factors on host–parasite population dynamics is particularly evident in northern latitudes where the occurrence and transmission of parasites are strongly regulated by seasonality-driven changes in environmental temperatures. Shortened winter periods would increase growth potential of many parasite populations. The ways in which climate warming could affect life history dynamics of the directly transmitted crustacean ectoparasite Argulus coregoni and complex life cycle trematode Diplostomum spathaceum, which frequently cause problems in northern fish far…
Girdles as the main infection site for Paradeontacylix kampachi (Sanguinicolidae) in the greater amberjack Seriola dumerili.
2003
In this study, we provide new information about the habitats selected by the blood fluke Paradeontacylix kampachi in the greater amberjack Seriola dumerili based on an exhaustive anatomical examination. From May to October 1998, 21 fish of the 0+ age class were collected from tanks of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography in Puerto de Mazarrón, Spain, for parasitological analysis. Individuals of P. kampachi were found in 17 of the 21 fish analysed (mean intensity +/- SD: 13.6 +/- 16.6; median: 6). Worms occurred in the girdles, cephalic kidney, sinus venosus, kidney and branchial arteries. A Friedman test with a post-hoc contrast revealed a significantly higher number of worms in the girdle…
Helminth communities of two lizard populations (Lacertidae) from Canary Islands (Spain): Host diet-parasite relationships
2005
Abstract A parasitological survey has been carried out to determine the relationships between host diet and parasite fauna. Diet, and infracommunities and component communities of two subspecies of lacertid lizards, Gallotia galloti galloti (Oudart, 1839) and G. g. palmae (Boettger et Müller, 1914) from Tenerife and La Palma islands (Canary Islands, Spain), have been analysed. High values of parasite infection parameters were found in both subspecies, which were only infected by nematodes of the family Pharyngodonidae. Plant matter was mainly consumed by both lizard subspecies and relevant amounts of mineral matter were also found in both hosts. Diet of these lacertid lizards was correlate…
Helminths of some lizards of the Iberian Peninsula: bioindicators of the ecology of their hosts.
2021
Parasitological studies carried out for more than three decades have been compared in twelve of the species of lizards that inhabit Iberian Peninsula. The species studied exhibit different ecological strategies in distinct aspects of their way of life. The working hypothesis is that these different ecological characteristics of these hosts will condition the quality and quantity of their helminth communities. Several parameters of host helminth faunas have been compared, such as prevalence, intensity and abundance of infection, and Brillouin diversity index in order to establish similarities and differences between the parasitic communities of the different hosts. Indeed, there are notable …
Contrasting reproductive traits of competing parasitoids facilitate coexistence on a shared host pest in a biological control perspective
2022
BACKGROUND: Interspecific competition in insect parasitoids is an important ecological phenomenon that has relevant implications for biological pest control. To date, interspecific intrinsic (=larval) competition has been intensively studied, while investigations on extrinsic (=adult) competition have often lagged behind. In this study we examined the role played by parasitoid reproductive traits and host clutch size on the outcome of extrinsic competition between Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston) and Ooencyrtus telenomicida (Vassiliev), two egg parasitoids of the pest Nezara viridula (L). Laboratory experiments were conducted by allowing both parasitoid species to exploit an egg mass made of …
THE EFFECTS OF MATING SYSTEM AND GENETIC VARIABILITY ON SUSCEPTIBILITY TO TREMATODE PARASITES IN A FRESHWATER SNAIL, LYMNAEA STAGNALIS
2004
The amount and distribution of genetic variability in host populations can have significant effects on the outcome of host-parasite interactions. We studied the effect of mating system and genetic variability on susceptibility of Lymnaea stagnalis snails to trematode parasites. Mating system of snails from eight populations differing in the amount of genetic variability was manipulated, and self- and cross-fertilized offspring were exposed to naturally occurring trematode parasites in a controlled lake experiment. Susceptibility of snails varied between populations, but mating-system treatment did not have a significant effect. Heterozygosity of snails was negatively correlated with the pro…
Exploration of extracellular vesicles from Ascaris suum provides evidence of parasite–host cross talk
2019
The prevalent porcine helminth, Ascaris suum, compromises pig health and reduces farm productivity worldwide. The closely related human parasite, A. lumbricoides, infects more than 800 million people representing a disease burden of 1.31 million disability-adjusted life years. The infections are often chronic in nature, and the parasites have a profound ability to modulate their hosts' immune responses. This study provides the first in-depth characterisation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from different developmental stages and body parts of A. suum and proposes the role of these vesicles in the host-parasite interplay. The release of EVs from the third- (L3) and fourth-stage (L4) larvae a…