Search results for "trematoda"

Host specificity ofOschmarinella rochebruniandBrachycladium atlanticum(Digenea: Brachycladiidae) in five cetacean species from western Mediterranean …

2010

AbstractWe investigated patterns of specificity of liver flukes (fam. Brachycladiidae) in a community of cetaceans from the western Mediterranean. The liver and pancreas of 103 striped dolphins,Stenella coeruleoalba, 18 Risso's dolphins,Grampus griseus, 14 bottlenose dolphins,Tursiops truncatus, 8 common dolphins,Delphinus delphis, and 5 long-finned pilot whales,Globicephala melas, were analysed for brachycladiid species. Two species were found:Oschmarinella rochebruniin striped dolphins (prevalence (P): 61.2%; mean intensity (MI) (95% CI): 34.2 (25.7–45.6)), andBrachycladium atlanticumin striped dolphins (P: 39.8%; MI: 7.1 (4.8–13.1)) and a single individual of common dolphin (P: 12.5%; in…

Are Sick Individuals Weak Competitors? Competitive Ability of Snails Parasitized by a Gigantism-Inducing Trematode

2013

Parasitized individuals are often expected to be poor competitors because they are weakened by infections. Many trematode species, however, although extensively exploiting their mollusc hosts, also induce gigantism (increased host size) by diverting host resources towards growth instead of reproduction. In such systems, alternatively to reduced competitive ability due to negative effects of parasitism on host performance, larger size could allow more efficient resource acquisition and thus increase the relative competitive ability of host individuals. We addressed this hypothesis by testing the effect of a trematode parasite Diplostomum pseudospathaceum on the competitive ability of its sna…

Intestinal helminth communities of the long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) off the Faroe Islands.

1993

SUMMARYThe intestines of 170 long-finned pilot whales, Globicephala melas, caught off the Faroe Islands (N.E. Atlantic) were examined for helminth parasites. Eight species were detected but only 4 occurred in at least 10% of the sample. No core or recurrent group of species were identified and no correlations between abundances of species were significant. Diversity values were far below those reported for other endotherms. Colonization by helminths was random, whales not being readily colonized. These features point to largely unpredictable, isolationist infracommunities, there being little potential for inter-specific interactions. Older hosts tended to harbour more diverse infracommuniti…

Patterns in Size and Shedding of Fasciola hepatica Eggs by Naturally and Experimentally Infected Murid Rodents

2002

Using samples collected on the island of Corsica, a comparative study was done of the morphometry of Fasciola hepatica eggs shed by cattle and by naturally and experimentally infected murid rodents (wild Mus musculus and Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus Wistar laboratory strain). Eggs shed by murids are smaller in size than those shed by naturally infected cattle. A second study analyzed the number of F. hepatica eggs shed in murid feces at different time intervals, i.e., months, days, and 6-hr periods, by the Kato-Katz technique. Both experimentally and naturally infected black rats (R. rattus) were used, and Wistar rats were experimentally infected and included for comparison. The pres…

Distribution of Pholeter gastrophilus (Digenea) within the stomach of four odontocete species: the role of the diet and digestive physiology of hosts

2005

We compared the distribution of the digenean Pholeter gastrophilus in the stomach of 27 harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, 27 striped dolphins, Stenella coeruleoalba, 18 bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, and 100 long-finned pilot whales, Globicephala melas. The stomach of these species is composed of 4 chambers of different size, structure and function. In all species, P. gastrophilus was largely restricted to the glandular region of the stomach, but the parasite tended to favour the fundic chamber in bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises, the pyloric chamber in pilot whales, and none in striped dolphins. However, predictability at infrapopulation level was generally low, sugg…

Pseudoallencotyla gen. n., a new genus for Allencotyla pricei (Kritsky, Noble et Moser, 1978) (Monogenea: Heteraxinidae), with a key to genera of Het…

2003

In this study, we clarify the taxonomic status of Allencotyla pricei based on a re-examination of paratypes and voucher specimens. Four important characters are added to previous descriptions: the vagina is ventral; the cirrus is absent; the eggs are fusiform and have two polar filaments (one about 3.5 times longer than the other); and, there are two flat sclerites at each side of the dorsal trident-shaped sclerite in the clamps. A comparison of A. pricei with species from all the genera of the Heteraxininae, including Allencotyla mcintoshi, indicates that A. pricei has several exclusive characters, i.e., a ventral vagina, vaginal armature, two additional dorsal sclerites in the clamps, a v…

Euparyphium albuferensis and Echinostoma friedi (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae): Experimental cercarial transmission success in sympatric snail communi…

2008

Euparyphium albuferensis and Echinostoma friedi cercarial infectivity to four species of sympatric snails was exam- ined under single- or multiple-choice laboratory conditions to show the level of parasite-snail host compatibility. Radix peregra, Lymnaea fuscus, Physella acuta and Gyraulus chinensis act as second intermediate hosts of both parasite species although differ- ent cercarial transmission success (CTS) was observed. In single-host experiments, R. peregra and P. acuta showed a high de- gree of compatibility with E. albuferensis, while only P. acuta in the case of E. friedi. In two-choice snail communities, a snail with high CTS increased the values of another with low compatibilit…

Ontogenetic Habitat Selection by Hadwenius pontoporiae (Digenea: Campulidae) in the Intestine of Franciscanas (Cetacea)

1997

The linear habitat selection of 4 sequential maturity stages (1, 2, 3, and 4) of the trematode Hadwenius pontoporiae in the intestines of 26 South American dolphins Pontoporia blanvillei was investigated. The franciscana is a suitable host for H. pontoporiae because all 26 hosts were infected, the infrapopulations being composed mostly of gravid (stage 4) worms. Most trematodes were found in the first third of the intestine. The niches of the maturity stages decreased from stage 1 to 4. Gravid worms favored the most anterior part of the duodenum, whereas stages 1, 2, and 3 occurred more posteriorly in every host. The distributions of the maturity stages showed a narrow site fidelity and wer…

Establishment and interspecific associations in two species of Ichthyocotylurus (Trematoda) parasites in perch (Perca fluviatilis)

2011

Abstract Background Co-infections of multiple parasite species in hosts may lead to interspecific associations and subsequently shape the structure of a parasite community. However, few studies have focused on these associations in highly abundant parasite species or, in particular, investigated how the associations develop with time in hosts exposed to co-infecting parasite species for the first time. We investigated metacercarial establishment and interspecific associations in the trematodes Ichthyocotylurus variegatus and I. pileatus co-infecting three age cohorts of young perch (Perca fluviatilis). Results We found that the timing of transmission of the two Ichthyocotylurus species was …

2014

Extreme weather events such as summer heat waves become more frequent owing to global climate change and are predicted to alter disease dynamics. This is because high temperatures can reduce host immune function. Predicting the impact of climate change on host-parasite interactions is, however, difficult as temperature may also affect parasite infective stages and other host characteristics determining the outcome of interaction. Two experiments were conducted to investigate these phenomena in a Lymnaea stagnalis–Echinoparyphium aconiatum (Trematoda) interaction. In the first experiment, the effects of exposure of snails to experimental heat waves [maintenance at 25°C vs. 15°C (control)] wi…