Helminth community in the belted kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon (L.), in southern Québec

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 2679-2681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn E. Scott

A survey of helminth parasites of 40 belted kingfishers obtained from southern Québec during 1982 and 1983 yielded 11 species of which Uvulifer ambloplitis and Crassiphiala bulboglossa were the most common. The birds had an average of 2.8 species each and 6 parasite species were found to be aggregated in the host population. Three parasites recovered were previously unrecorded from this host: Clinostomum complanatum, Capillaria sp., and Strongyloides sp. Comparison of parasite burdens between male and female hosts and between years revealed no significant differences.

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-46
Author(s):  
Sujon Kundu ◽  
Aminul I Bhuiyan

The study was conducted to determine the impact of seasons, host size and sexes on the incidence of helminth community infecting Channa striatus (Bloch, 1793) from Punarbhaba and Atrai rivers of Dinajpur district. Four helminths were identified: one Cestoda, Bothriocephalus cuspidatus (Cooper, 1917); two Nematoda, Ascaridia spp. (Dujardin, 1845) and Camallanus intestinalus (Bashirullah, 1974); one Acanthocephala, Pallisentis ophiocephali (Thapar, 1930). Out of 75 hosts examined 52 were infected by 326 helminth parasites. Nematoda was the most dominant group (48.0%), followed by Acanthocephala (46.67%) and Cestoda (8.0%). The larger hosts were more infected than the smaller ones. A significant positive correlation was observed between the length of the host with respect to the abundance and prevalence of parasite for C. intentinalus and P. ophiocephali. Regarding the effect of seasonal changes, the prevalence of B. cuspidatus (14.81%) and Ascaridia spp. (22.22%) was highest in the rainy season. The highest prevalence of C. intestinalus (73.91%) was observed in winter. The prevalence of P. ophiocephali was high (84.0%) in summer. Except the abundance of B. cuspidatus (p = 0.147) all parasite species, Ascaridia spp. (p = 0.003), C. intestinalus (p < 0.01) and P. ophiocephali (p < 0.01) varied significantly among seasons. Overall prevalence of infection of male and female were 53.8% and 77.6%, respectively. A significant difference in the abundance of the parasite species with respect to host sex was observed only in C. intestinalus (Z = –2.886, p = 0.004).Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 25(1): 39-46, 2016


Parasitology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 138 (9) ◽  
pp. 1176-1182 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. RAUQUE ◽  
R. A. PATERSON ◽  
R. POULIN ◽  
D. M. TOMPKINS

SUMMARYThere is a gap in our understanding of the relative and interactive effects of different parasite species on the same host population. Here we examine the effects of the acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus galaxii, an unidentified cyclophyllidean cestode, and the trematodes Coitocaecum parvum and Microphallus sp. on several fitness components of the amphipod Paracalliope fluviatilis, using a combination of infection surveys and both survival and behavioural trials. In addition to significant relationships between specific parasites and measures of amphipod survival, maturity, mating success and behaviour, interactions between parasite species with respect to amphipod photophilia were also significant. While infection by either A. galaxii or C. parvum was associated with increased photophilia, such increases were negated by co-infection with Microphallus sp. We hypothesize that this is due to the more subtle manipulative effect of A. galaxii and C. parvum being impaired by Microphallus sp. We conclude that the low frequency at which such double infections occur in our sampled population means that such interactions are unlikely to be important beyond the scale of the host individual. Whether or not this is generally true, implying that parasitological models and theory based on single parasite species studies do generally hold, requires cross-species meta-analytical studies.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison M. Wardlaw ◽  
Aneil F. Agrawal

AbstractParasites experience different tradeoffs between transmission and virulence in male and female hosts if the sexes vary in life history or disease-related traits. We determine the evolutionarily stable levels of exploitation by pathogens under two scenarios: an unconstrained pathogen that expresses different exploitation rates within each host type as well as a pathogen constrained to express the same exploitation rate in each sex. We show that an unconstrained horizontally-transmitted parasite evolves to express the same sex-specific exploitation rate within each sex as it would in a host population composed entirely of hosts with that sex’s resistance and intrinsic death rate. In contrast, the ESS exploitation rate of a constrained pathogen is affected by sex-differences in susceptibility and non-random contact patterns between host types that differ in resistance. As the amount of within-sex transmission increases, the ESS shifts closer to the optimum trait value in the more susceptible sex. Allowing for some degree of vertical transmission, the exploitation rate expressed in females (but not males) changes with contact pattern even in unconstrained pathogens. Differences in contact pattern and susceptibility play an important role in determining the ESS exploitation rate by shifting the reproductive value of each host type.


2020 ◽  
Vol 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Beveridge

Abstract The gastrointestinal helminth parasites of 170 common wallaroos or euros, Osphranter robustus (Gould), collected from all mainland states in which the species occurs as well as the Northern Territory, are presented, including previously published data. A total of 65 species of helminths were encountered, including four species of anoplocephalid cestodes found in the bile ducts and small intestine, and 61 species of strongylid nematodes, all but two of which occurring in the stomach, and with the remainder occurring in the terminal ileum, caecum and colon. Among the mainland subspecies of O. robustus, 52 species of helminths were encountered in O. r. robustus, compared with 30 species in O. r. woodwardi and 35 species in O. r. erubescens. Of the parasite species encountered, only 17 were specific to O. robustus, the remaining being shared with sympatric host species. Host-specific species or species occurring in O. robustus at a high prevalence can be classified as follows: widely distributed; restricted to northern Australia; restricted to the northern wallaroo, O. r. woodwardi; found only in the euro, O. r. erubescens; found essentially along the eastern coast of Australia, primarily in O. r. robustus; and species with highly limited regional distributions. The data currently available suggest that the acquisition of a significant number of parasites is due to co-grazing with other macropodids, while subspeciation in wallaroos as well as climatic variables may have influenced the diversification of the parasite fauna.


2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Guillen-Hernandez ◽  
P.J. Whitfield

AbstractAn analysis was undertaken of intestinal helminth communities in flounderPlatichthys flesusfrom two sites on the River Thames. A comparison was made between helminth community richness and diversity from these sites at the component and infracommunity levels. At the component community level, a richer and more diverse parasite community was found in flounder from the Tilbury location (marine influence) than that from the Lots Road location (freshwater influence). At the infracommunity level, more parasite species and parasite individuals per host were found at Lots Road and the percentage of similarity values were low at both locations. Helminth species with high prevalence values in the parasite communities of the flounder are the dominant species in any individual fish, harbouring multi-specific infections. The presence of more invertebrate species, which are intermediate hosts in the helminth life cycle in the Thames, fish vagility and the high prevalence and abundance values ofPomphorhynchus laevisin the flounder, may explain the differences between the two locations.


1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 358-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Smith ◽  
E. M. Addison ◽  
D. G. Joachim ◽  
L. M. Smith ◽  
N. W. S. Quinn

Six helminths were common in lynx (Felis canadensis) throughout northern Ontario: Troglostrongylus wilsoni (Stough, 1953) Sarmiento &Stough, 1956 in the lung (54% of 127 infected), Cylicospirura felineus (Chandler, 1925) Sandground, 1932 in the stomach (91% of 360), Toxascaris leonina (von Linstow, 1902) and Toxocara cati (Schrank, 1788) in the stomach and intestine(97% and 22% of 274, respectively), and Taenia laticollis Rudolphi, 1819, and Taenia rileyi Loewen, 1929 in the intestine (94% and 47% of 275, respectively). Only Toxascaris leonina is transmitted by both lynx and canids in northern Ontario. Lynx is the only definitive host of the other common parasites. Seven helminths usually found in canids occurred infrequently in lynx: Alaria marcianae (LaRue, 1917) Walton, 1949 and immature Taenia pisiformis (Bloch, 1780) Gmelin, 1790 in 4% of those examined; and Capillaria aerophila (Creplin, 1839) Travassos, 1915, Physaloptera rara Hall &Wigdor, 1918, Ancylostoma caninum (Ercolani, 1859), Uncinaria stenocephalia (Railliet, 1884), and Taenia serialis (Gervais, 1847) Baillet, 1863 in one to three lynx each. Abundances of the common parasites varied only slightly among five forest regions, and did not differ between male and female lynx or among lynx older than kits. Cylicospirura felineus and Taenia rileyi were less abundant in kits, and Taenia laticollis and Toxocara cati tended to be more abundant in kits than in older lynx. Host condition and numbers of many of the common helminths tended to be positively correlated, but the inclusion of kits affected the result. The few helminth species established in lynx and their apparent uniform distribution in the host population may reflect the dominance of snowshoe hare in the diet.


Parasitology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 139 (5) ◽  
pp. 589-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHNATHAN J. DALZELL ◽  
NEIL D. WARNOCK ◽  
PAUL MCVEIGH ◽  
NIKKI J. MARKS ◽  
ANGELA MOUSLEY ◽  
...  

SUMMARYAlmost a decade has passed since the first report of RNA interference (RNAi) in a parasitic helminth. Whilst much progress has been made with RNAi informing gene function studies in disparate nematode and flatworm parasites, substantial and seemingly prohibitive difficulties have been encountered in some species, hindering progress. An appraisal of current practices, trends and ideals of RNAi experimental design in parasitic helminths is both timely and necessary for a number of reasons: firstly, the increasing availability of parasitic helminth genome/transcriptome resources means there is a growing need for gene function tools such as RNAi; secondly, fundamental differences and unique challenges exist for parasite species which do not apply to model organisms; thirdly, the inherent variation in experimental design, and reported difficulties with reproducibility undermine confidence. Ideally, RNAi studies of gene function should adopt standardised experimental design to aid reproducibility, interpretation and comparative analyses. Although the huge variations in parasite biology and experimental endpoints make RNAi experimental design standardization difficult or impractical, we must strive to validate RNAi experimentation in helminth parasites. To aid this process we identify multiple approaches to RNAi experimental validation and highlight those which we deem to be critical for gene function studies in helminth parasites.


Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1434 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. FALCÓN-ORDAZ ◽  
J. C. WINDFIELD-PÉREZ ◽  
B. MENDOZA-GARFIAS ◽  
G. PARRA-OLEA ◽  
G. PÉREZ-PONCE DE LEÓN

Plethodontid salamanders represent a group of amphibians that show a great evolutionary diversification in México, however no study of their helminth parasites had been conducted thus far. In this paper, we describe Cosmocerca acanthurum n. sp. (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae) from the intestine of the plethodontid salamanders Pseudoeurycea leprosa and Chiropterotriton orculus from Llano Grande and Texcalyacac, Estado de México, in Central México. Cosmocerca acanthurum n. sp. is easily distinguished from all other species of Cosmocerca in that females possess a uniquely spined tail, a character no seen in congeners. In addition, we compiled all the information of helminth parasites of plethodontid salamanders, and we present it in the form of a checklist of both parasite-host, and host-parasite. A brief analysis of the helminth parasite species composition is presented regarding life-history and development characteristics of plethodontids.


Parasitology ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. SURES ◽  
K. KNOPF ◽  
J. WÜRTZ ◽  
J. HIRT

A total of 121 European eels (Anguilla anguilla) from 2 sampling sites on the River Rhine were investigated in respect of their parasite communities. Special attention was given to the swim bladders, intestines, gills and fins of the fish. Twelve different parasite species were found to live in and on the eels. Data from each sampling site were kept separate. Parasites found in descending order of prevalence were: Anguillicola crassus, Trypanosoma granulosum, Myxobolus sp., Paratenuisentis ambiguus, Pseudodactylogyrus sp., Bothriocephalus claviceps, Myxidium giardi, Pomphorhynchus laevis, Trichodina sp., Raphidascaris acus, Acanthocephalus lucii and Acanthocephalus anguillae. Significantly different prevalences were reported for L3 larvae of A. crassus, adult P. ambiguus, B. claviceps and Myxobolus sp. at the 2 sampling sites. The highest number of parasite species was recorded from the intestine, which contained up to 6 different helminths. The coexistence of the acanthocephalans P. laevis and P. ambiguus, which showed clear patterns of distribution within the intestine of the respective hosts, was reported for the first time. Up to 3 different helminth species were found in the intestine of individual fish. Among those, acanthocephalans were the most prevalent worms with the eel-specific parasite P. ambiguus as the dominant species not only of the intestinal but also of the total component communities. Both infra and component communities exhibited low diversity and were dominated by this single species. The evenness reached only approximately 50% or less and it remained unclear why the helminth communities of the eels from the River Rhine with its huge catchment area exhibit such a low parasite diversity and high dominance.


1958 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Burnett

That insect parasites regulate and, in the case of newly introduced species, sometimes reduce the average density of insect pests has led to an exmination of the properties of parasites in general. Consideration has been given to the manner in which parasites select hosts for oviposition and to the physiological and psychological basis of this selection. The distribution of parasite progeny among suitable hosts has been analysed in many cases, for the fewer the hostS that are superparasitized for any given number of parasite eggs laid the greater the efficiency of the parasite in reducing host density. It is obvious that before the factors of host selection and superparasitism become important in host-parasite interaction the parasite must find the host individuals. When the hosts are confined to a relatively small area the potential oviposition of the parasite, subject to discrimination among hosts and restraint in oviposition, often determines the level of parasitism. As distance between individuals of the host population becomes greater, however, it is necessary for the parasite to search the environment more extensively. Therefore, the ability of the parasite to find hosts is a factor of prime importance in determining its influence on the density of its host. The success with which a parasite discovers hosts in relation to host density is determined, of course, by several characteristics of the parasite species and by the modification of these characteristics through variations in the physical environment.


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