Ants as first intermediate hosts of Mesocestoides on San Miguel Island, USA

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.A. Padgett ◽  
W.M. Boyce
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Lasius Niger ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Island Fox ◽  
San Miguel Island ◽  
Pooled Samples ◽  
First Intermediate Host

AbstractThis study tested the hypotheses that ants (Formicidae) function as a first intermediate host of Mesocestoides (Cestoda: Mesocestoididae) and that deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) develop metacestode infections after ingesting cysticercoid or procercoid-infected ants. Field studies were conducted at an island fox (Urocyon littoralis littoralis) breeding facility located on San Miguel Island, California Channel Islands National Park, USA, where >40% of captive foxes were infected with adult Mesocestoides. Eight percent (8%) of deer mice at the fox pen site were infected with Mesocestoides metacestodes while none were infected at a distant site where foxes were absent (campground), thereby indicating the potential localized presence of a first intermediate host. To test whether ants from San Miguel Island contained Mesocestoides DNA, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic assay was developed using nested primers that could detect a single hexacanth larva within pooled samples of ten ants. Ants (Lasius niger and Tapinoma sessile) collected near the fox breeding facility were tested using the nested-PCR assay. Seven of 223 pooled samples of L. niger (3.1%) and 2 of 84 pooled samples of T. sessile (2.4%) tested positive for Mesocestoides DNA, while none of the ants were positive at the campground site. Positive samples were sequenced and found to match DNA sequences from Mesocestoides obtained from island fox and deer mice. Finally, to determine whether ants function as a first intermediate host for Mesocestoides, colony-raised deer mice (n=47) were fed L. niger (n=3860) or T. sessile (n=339) collected from the San Miguel Island fox breeding facility. No mouse became infected with Mesocestoides metacestodes after ingesting ants. While both L. niger and T. sessile from SMI were positive for Mesocestoides DNA, they were not infective to deer mice in the laboratory.

Life cycle studies on two Digenea, Paradistomum geckonum (Dicrocoeliidae) and Mesocoelium sociale (Mesocoeliidae), in geckonid lizards from Indonesia

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (10) ◽  
pp. 2491-2497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murray J. Kennedy ◽  
L. M. Killick ◽  
M. Beverley-Burton
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Hemidactylus Frenatus ◽  
Pulmonate Gastropod ◽  
First Intermediate Host

Life cycle studies of Paradistomum geckonum (Dicrocoeliidae) were attempted experimentally. The pulmonate gastropod Lamellaxis gracilis served as the first intermediate host; geckonid lizards (Cosymbotus platyurus, Gehyra mutilata, and Hemidactylus frenatus) served as definitive hosts. The life cycle of Mesocoelium sociale (Mesocoeliidae) was studied in naturally infected first intermediate hosts (L. gracilis, Huttonella bicolor) and experimentally in geckonid definitive hosts (C. platyurus, G. mutilata, and H. frenatus). Some naturally infected L. gracilis were infected concurrently with larval stages of both digeneans. Second intermediate hosts, presumed to be arthropods, were experimentally unnecessary. Metacercariae of P. geckonum were not found. Cercariae of M. sociale formed encysted metacercariae in the same individual snails.

The Life-Cycle and Morphology of Stemmatostoma-Pearsoni, Gen Et Sp-Nov, With Notes on the Morphology of Telogaster-Opisthorchis Macfarlane (Digenea, Cryptogonimidae)

1986 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 279 ◽  
Author(s):  
TH Cribb
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Oral Sucker ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Redial Generation ◽  
Adult Morphology ◽  
Mother Sporocyst ◽  
First Intermediate Host ◽  
Prosobranch Snail

Stemmatostoma pearsoni, gen. et sp. nov., is described from the intestine of Leiopotherapon unicolor (Gunther) and Macquaria novemaculeata (Steindachner) in Queensland. Stemmatostoma is placed within the Neochasminae and is distinguished by its long oesophagus, compact ovary, short caeca, pre-ovarian vitellaria, simple gonotyl and funnel-shaped oral sucker. The diagnosis of the Neochasminae is emended excluding Parspina Pearse. Telogaster opisthorchis Macfarlane is recorded from the intestine of Anguilla reinhardtii Steindachner from Victoria. The spinose oral suckers of S. pearsoni and T. opisthorchis are capable of being retracted into tegumental pockets. It is postulated that this arrangement may be widespread amongst spinose cryptogonimids. The first intermediate host of S. pearsoni is Posticobia brazieri (Smith), a prosobranch snail. The second intermediate hosts are freshwater fish: Hypseleotris galii (Ogilby), H. compressus (Krefft), Mogurnda mogurnda (Richardson), M. adspersa (Castelnau), Philypnodon grandiceps (Krefft), Gobiomorphus australis (Krefft), and Pseudomugil signifer Kner. Within the snail there is a mother sporocyst generation, a redial generation and a cercarial generation. Development of the mother sporocyst is similar to that described for other opisthorchioids. Cryptogonimid cercariae are characterized by 16 flame-cells, pre-vesicular penetration glands, dorso-ventral caudal finfolds and absence of body pigmentation. On the basis of cercarial and adult morphology it is proposed that Pseudexorchis Yamaguti be excluded from the Cryptogonimidae.

Experimental studies on the transmission dynamics of the cercariae of Echinoparyphium recurvatum (Digenea: Echinostomatidae)

Parasitology ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Evans ◽  
D. M. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Maximum Life Span ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
Second Intermediate Host ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
First Intermediate Host

SUMMARYAge-dependent survival and infectivity characteristics are described for the cercariae of Echinoparyphium recurvatum. At 18 °C the maximum life-span of the cercariae was 48 h and 50% survival occurred at 30·5 h. Infectivity of cercariae to the second intermediate host, Lymnaea peregra was maximal approximately 2 h after emission from the first intermediate host and it subsequently declined to zero at 19 h. It is suggested that the period of sub-maximal infectivity at the beginning of the cercarial life-span may represent a phase during which dispersal is an important function of the larvae. The relationship between infective stage density and establishment success was linear up to densities equivalent to 5000 cercariae/1. At higher cercarial densities the proportion of parasites establishing in second intermediate hosts declined progressively with increasing cercarial density. The mean number of parasites establishing/host increased linearly with increasing host size.

Temporal variation of Meiogymnophallus minutus infections in the first and second intermediate host

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 362-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Fermer ◽  
S.C. Culloty ◽  
T.C. Kelly ◽  
R.M. O'Riordan
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Seasonal Patterns ◽  
Intertidal Flat ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Cerastoderma Edule ◽  
Scrobicularia Plana ◽  
Second Intermediate Host ◽  
First Intermediate Host

AbstractIn order to study seasonal patterns of Meiogymnophallus minutus infections in its intermediate hosts, bivalve samples were collected monthly between April 2008 and March 2009 from a high intertidal flat at Courtmacsherry Bay, Ireland. Infection rates in the first intermediate host Scrobicularia plana did not fluctuate significantly with season. Completely developed M. minutus cercariae appeared in daughter sporocysts from June and prevailed from July to October, indicating that transmission of M. minutus from its first to its second intermediate host is confined to this period of the year. All analysed individuals of the second intermediate host Cerastoderma edule were found to be infected with metacercariae. Infection levels significantly increased in September, suggesting recent cercarial invasions. Throughout the year, the majority of metacercariae were hyperinfected by the pathogenic microsporidian Unikaryon legeri. Spreading of hyperinfections was confined to spring and summer. Newly settled metacercariae were not affected by hyperparasitism and presumably retained their infectivity for half a year. Our findings suggest that the spreading of hyperinfections is correlated with higher water temperatures and that the entire metacercarial population has to rebuild every year as a consequence of hyperparasite-induced mortality.

scholarly journals Shedding and Intracage Transmission of Sin Nombre Hantavirus in the Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) Model

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (15) ◽  
pp. 7587-7594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Botten ◽  
Katy Mirowsky ◽  
Chunyan Ye ◽  
Keith Gottlieb ◽  
Melissa Saavedra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Similar Pattern ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Deer Mouse ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Viral Rna ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Transmitted Infection ◽  
Mouse Infection Model ◽  
Pooled Samples

ABSTRACT The mechanism(s) by which Sin Nombre (SN) hantavirus is maintained in deer mouse populations is unclear. Field studies indicate that transmission occurs primarily if not exclusively via a horizontal mechanism. Using an experimental deer mouse infection model in an outdoor laboratory, we tested whether infected rodents shed SN virus in urine, feces, and saliva, whether infected mice transmit infection to naïve cage mates, and whether infected dams are able to vertically transmit virus or antibody to offspring. Using pooled samples of urine, feces, and saliva collected from mice infected 8 to 120 days postinoculation (p.i.), we found that a subset of saliva samples, collected between 15 and 90 days p.i., contained viral RNA. Parallel studies conducted on wild-caught, naturally infected deer mice showed a similar pattern of intermittent positivity, also only in saliva samples. Attempts to isolate virus through inoculation of cells or naïve deer mice with the secreta or excreta of infected mice were uniformly negative. Of 54 attempts to transmit infection by cohousing infected deer mice with seronegative cage mates, we observed only a single case of transmission, which occurred between 29 and 42 days p.i. Dams passively transferred antibodies to neonatal pups via milk, and those antibodies persisted for at least 2 months after weaning, but none transmitted infection to their pups. Compared to other hantavirus models, SN virus is shed less efficiently and transmits inefficiently among cage mates. Transmission of SN virus among reservoir rodents may require factors that are not required for other hantaviruses.

Digenean metacercariae (Timoniellaspp.,Labratrema minimusandCryptocotyle concava) from the flounder,platichthys flesus, in the tidal Thames

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.E.M. El-Darsh ◽  
P.J. Whitfield
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Nursery Ground ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Thames Estuary ◽  
Platichthys Flesus ◽  
Second Intermediate Host ◽  
Temporal And Spatial Characteristics ◽  
First Time ◽  
First Intermediate Host

A detailed examination of the abundant flatfish speciesPlatichthys flesus, the flounder, in the tidal Thames has revealed the presence of four digenean metacercarial parasites,Cryptocotyle concava(Creplin, 1825),Timoniella imbutiforme(Molin, 1859),T. praeterita(Looss, 1901) andLabratrema minimus(Stossich, 1887). Flounders were recorded as a new second intermediate host forT. praeteritaandL. minimus. They were also recorded as second intermediate hosts for the first time in British waters forT. imbutiforme. The temporal and spatial characteristics of these infections were examined and were believed to provide indirect parasitological evidence of the movement patterns of flounders during their utilization of the Thames Estuary as a nursery ground. From these data it was also surmised that the first intermediate host ofT. imbutiforme,T. praeteritaandC. concavawas probably the molluscan speciesHydrobia ulvaein the lower Thames Estuary, whereasL. minimuswas most likely to occur in the molluscan hostCerastoderma edule, also present in the lower estuary.

The Life Cycle and Biology of Opecoelus Variabilis, Sp.nov. (Digenea: Opecoelidae).

1985 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 715 ◽  
Author(s):  
TH Cribb
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Full Size ◽  
Second Intermediate Host ◽  
New Diagnosis ◽  
Australian Freshwater ◽  
Further Development ◽  
First Intermediate Host ◽  
Prosobranch Snail

Opecoelus variabilis, sp. nov., is described from the intestine of 17 species of Australian freshwater fish. The highly variable anatomy of this species highlights the closeness of Opecoelus and Opegaster. Opegaster is made a synonym of Opecoelus and a new diagnosis is proposed for Opecoelus. The first intermediate host of O. variabilis is the prosobranch snail Posticobia brazieri, and the second intermediate hosts are five species of atyid, palaemonid and parastacid Crustacea. Features of the life cycle are the production of daughter sporocysts by the mother sporocyst when only one-quarter of its full size, and the further development of the metacercaria in the second intermediate host after becoming infective to the definitive host.

scholarly journals Molecular and morphological characterization of the cercariae of Lecithodendrium linstowi (Dollfus, 1931), a trematode of bats, and incrimination of the first intermediate snail host, Radix balthica

Parasitology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
EGIE E. ENABULELE ◽  
SCOTT P. LAWTON ◽  
ANTHONY J. WALKER ◽  
RUTH S. KIRK
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Morphological Characterization ◽  
Snail Host ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Life Cycle Stages ◽  
Radix Balthica ◽  
First Intermediate Host

SUMMARYLecithodendrium linstowi is one of the most prevalent and abundant trematodes of bats, but the larval stages and intermediate hosts have not been identified. We present the first molecular and morphological characterization of the cercariae of L. linstowi based on a phylogenetic analysis of partial fragments of LSU and ITS2 rDNA. The first intermediate host was incriminated as Radix balthica by DNA barcoding using cox1 and ITS2 sequences, although the snail morphologically resembled Radix peregra, emphasizing the requirement for molecular identification of lymnaeids as important intermediate hosts of medical and veterinary impact. The application of molecular data in this study has enabled linkage of life cycle stages and accurate incrimination of the first intermediate host.

scholarly journals Do three-spined sticklebacks avoid consuming copepods, the first intermediate host ofSchistocephalus solidus? — an experimental analysis of behavioural resistance

Parasitology ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Wedekind ◽  
M. Milinski
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Alternative Prey ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Behavioural Resistance ◽  
Prey Interaction ◽  
Second Intermediate Host ◽  
First Intermediate Host

SUMMARYMany parasites that use intermediate hosts are transmitted to the next host through predation. If the next host's fitness is strongly reduced by the parasite, it is under selection either to recognize and avoid infected intermediate hosts or to exclude that prey species from its diet when alternative prey are available. We investigated the predator-prey interaction between laboratory bred three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), the second intermediate host of the cestodeSchistocephalus solidus, from 2 parasitized and 1 unparasitized population, and different prey types: infected and uninfected copepods and size-matchedDaphniaas alternative prey. Copepods with infective procercoids were more active, had a lower swimming ability and were easier to catch than uninfected controls. The sticklebacks preferred moving copepods. Therefore parasitized copepods were preferentially attacked and consumed. There was no effect of the sticklebacks' parent population being parasitized or not. The sticklebacks switched fromDaphniato (uninfected) copepods in the course of a hunting sequence; this switch occurred earlier in smaller fish. With this strategy the fish maximized their feeding rate:Daphniawere easier to catch than copepods but increasingly difficult to swallow when the stomach was filling up especially for smaller fish. However, there was no indication that sticklebacks from infected populations either consumedDaphniarather than copepods or switched later in the hunting sequence to consuming copepods than fish from an uninfected population. Thus, sticklebacks did not avoid parasitized prey althoughS. solidususually has a high prevalence and causes a strong fitness reduction in its stickleback host.

scholarly journals Domestication of wild animals may provide a springboard for rapid variation of coronavirus

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 252-254
Author(s):  
Lei Gao
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Rapid Variation ◽  
Cross Breeding ◽  
Important Direction ◽  
Animal Hosts

Abstract Coronaviruses have spread widely among humans and other animals, but not all coronaviruses carried by specific animals can directly infect other kinds of animals. Viruses from most animal hosts need an intermediate host before they can spread widely among humans. Under natural conditions, coronaviruses do not rapidly change from infecting wild animals as intermediate hosts and to spreading widely among humans. The intermediate host might be the animals captured or bred for the purpose of cross-breeding with domesticated species for improvement of the breed. These animals differ from wild animals at the environmental and genetic levels. It is an important direction to study the semi-wild animals domesticated by humans in search for intermediate hosts of viruses widely spread among humans.

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