Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Danimar Lopez-Hernandez, Marisa Caixeta Valadao, Alan Lane de Melo, Vasyl V. V. Tkach, Hudson Alves Pinto
Summary: Echinostomatid digeneans of the genus Rhopalias were found in opossums in freshwater habitats in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The larvae were discovered in certain snail species and genetic analysis determined that they correspond to three different species of Rhopalias. This study provides the first insights into the life cycle of this unusual echinostomatid genus.
Article
Ecology
Annika Cornelius, Christian Buschbaum, Maral Khosravi, Andreas M. Waser, K. Mathias Wegner, David W. Thieltges
Summary: Predators can have both direct and indirect effects on parasite-host interactions. In this study, the researchers found that chemical cues from a predatory crab increased the release of parasite cercariae from periwinkles but reduced the infection rates in mussels. This suggests that predation risk effects can counteract the elevated parasite release from first intermediate hosts, resulting in negative net effects on parasite transmission.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Spencer Froelick, Laura Gramolini, Daniel P. Benesh
Summary: Recovery rates of parasitic worms increase with life cycle progression, with larger larvae having higher recovery rates. Recovery declines in larger hosts but less than it increases with worm size. Higher doses are used in systems with lower recovery rates, indicating that high doses are chosen when fewer worms are expected to establish infection.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Daniel J. Desautels, Yebin Wang, Asher Ripp, Amber Beaman, Sena Andea, Rachel B. Hartman, David J. Civitello
Summary: This study evaluated the nutritional effects of detritus from four invasive plants on human schistosomes and snail intermediate hosts. The results showed that water fern and water lettuce promoted snail growth and parasite production, while water hyacinth and duckweed had negative effects. Prolonged decomposition of water hyacinth did not improve snail and schistosome performance.
Article
Ecology
Kum C. Shim, Christopher R. Peterson, Daniel I. Bolnick
Summary: Host-parasite coevolution can lead to local adaptation in either the host or parasite. The tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus shows some local adaptation to its second intermediate host, threespine stickleback, but its adaptation to its first intermediate host, copepods, is not documented. A reciprocal exposure experiment showed that S. solidus is not locally adapted to copepods, but exhibits moderate-effect host specificity.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Anne S. Roessler, Andreas W. Oehm, Gabriela Knubben-Schweizer, Andreas Groll
Summary: This study aimed to develop a regression model for predicting the presence or absence of Galba truncatula as the principal intermediate host for Fasciola hepatica in Switzerland. The analysis of 70 variables revealed that factors such as reed/humid area, spring water, water bodies, and trees/bushes were important predictors for the occurrence of Galba truncatula. Temperature and precipitation also had some impact on its presence.
PREVENTIVE VETERINARY MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Sebastian Vogel, Horst Taraschewski
Summary: Anthropogenic interference has caused significant ecological changes in freshwater ecosystems. Pollution and the introduction of new species have altered the community structures of macrozoobenthos and their parasite communities. The Weser river system has experienced a decline in biodiversity due to salinization caused by local industry, but the introduction of the North American amphipod Gammarus tigrinus has led to the presence of the acanthocephalan parasite Paratenuisentis ambiguus in the Weser. This study investigates the recent changes in the acanthocephalan parasite community and reveals shifts in distribution and host usage, contributing to the perplexing taxonomy of the genus Pomphorhynchus in the era of ecological globalization.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tomas Franco-Bodek, Cecilia Barradas-Ortiz, Fernando Negrete-Soto, Rossanna Rodriguez-Canul, Enrique Lozano-Alvarez, Patricia Briones-Fourzan
Summary: In this study, the effects of C. solearis infection on the physiological and behavioral variables of P. argus were examined. The results showed that heavily infected lobsters had lower glucose concentration and higher 5-HT concentration in plasma, suggesting potential changes in their activity patterns and microhabitat choices.
Article
Engineering, Marine
Anais Richard, Xavier de Montaudouin, Auriane Rubiello, Olivier Maire
Summary: The impact of trematode parasites on the behavior of their host can vary across different factors such as time period, host age, parasite species, and interaction with other environmental stressors. Despite high parasite intensity, the indirect effects on sediment bioturbation and biogeochemical fluxes may not always be significant in marine coastal environments.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Andrea Langeland, Emilia Grill, Amol C. Shetty, Damien M. O'Halloran, John M. Hawdon
Summary: Soil-transmitted nematodes (STNs) infect at least 1.5 billion people globally, causing significant health and economic burdens. The pathogen burden is higher in children and pregnant women, leading to anemia and developmental delays. Understanding the molecular determinants of host specificity in these parasites is essential for intervention.
Article
Immunology
Md Golzar Hossain, Aneela Javed, Sharmin Akter, Sukumar Saha
Summary: COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 has become a global pandemic threat, with the possibility of domestic pets acting as secondary hosts for the virus. There have been reports of infected cases in various animals, raising the need for further investigation into the potential role of pets in spreading the virus to humans.
JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY IMMUNOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Danimar Lopez-Hernandez, Alan Lane de Melo, Hudson Alves Pinto
Summary: This study identified a trematode larva found in a physid snail from Brazil as a member of the Reniferidae family, possibly a species of the Renifer genus. The larva showed morphological and genetic differences compared to Reniferid trematodes from North America.
JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
Claudia Bommarito, David W. Thieltges, Christian Pansch, Francisco R. Barboza, Fabio Pranovi, Martin Wahl
Summary: The study found that salinity, first intermediate host density, and host size are important factors determining infection levels in mussels in the southwestern Baltic Sea, with salinity being the main major driver.
Article
Mycology
Eduardo Perez-Pazos, Amanda Certano, Joe Gagne, Renee Lebeuf, Noah Siegel, Nhu Nguyen, Peter G. Kennedy
Summary: Suillus fungi show a high degree of flexibility in host specificity, as demonstrated through field experiments and seedling bioassays. They are able to associate with novel host genera, such as Abies and Tsuga, indicating a more flexible host specificity in this genus than previously acknowledged. This helps to explain the presence of Suillus in forests where known hosts are not present.
Article
Parasitology
Ben Li, Zhuo Lan, Xin-Ru Guo, Ai-Hui Zhang, Wei Wei, Ye Li, Zhen-Hua Jin, Zhong-Yan Gao, Xian-Guang Zhang, Bai Li, Jun-Feng Gao, Chun-Ren Wang
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence of Prosthogonimus infection in dragonflies in Heilongjiang Province, China. It found that six species of dragonflies were infected, with the highest infection rate found in the species Prosthogonimus cuneatus. This is the first report of Prosthogonimus infection in dragonflies in China.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2023)