Nematodes and cestodes of rodents in South Africa: baseline data on diversity and geographic distribution

Abstract Currently, descriptive information on the host range and geographic distribution of helminth parasites associated with naturally occurring rodents in South and southern Africa is scant. Therefore, we embarked on a countrywide study to: (1) identify gastrointestinal helminths and their host range, and (2) provide baseline data on the geographic distribution of helminths across the country. Altogether, 55 helminth taxa were recovered from at least 13 rodent species (n = 1030) at 26 localities across South Africa. The helminth taxa represented 25 genera (15 nematodes, nine cestodes and one acanthocephalan). Monoxenous nematodes were the most abundant and prevalent group, while the occurrence of heteroxenous nematodes and cestodes was generally lower. The study recorded several novel helminth–host associations. Single-host-species infections were common, although multiple-host-species infections by helminth species were also recorded. Monoxenous nematodes and some cestodes were recovered countrywide, whereas heteroxenous nematodes were restricted to the eastern regions of South Africa. The study highlights the as yet unexplored diversity of helminth species associated with naturally occurring rodent species and provides initial data on their geographical distribution in South Africa.

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Host range and geographic distribution of Armillaria root rot pathogens in the Canadian prairie provinces

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x90-249 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 20 (12) ◽

pp. 1859-1863 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

K. I. Mallett

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Geographic Distribution ◽

Host Species ◽

Root Rot ◽

Boreal Forests ◽

Common Species ◽

Canadian Prairie ◽

Armillaria Root Rot ◽

Armillaria Species ◽

Prairie Provinces

A survey to identify Armillaria root rot pathogens, their host range, and geographic distribution was conducted in the Canadian prairie provinces. Collections of basidiocarps and isolates from the wood of gymptomatic or dead trees were made. Armillaria species were identified by interfertility testing and by the L-DOPA method. Three Armillaria species, A. ostoyae (Romagn.) Herink, A. sinapina Bérubé & Dessureault, and A. calvescens Bérubé & Dessureault, were identified. Armillariaostoyae was the most common species in both the subalpine and boreal forests and was found on a wide variety of coniferous and deciduous host species. Armillariasinapina was in both the boreal and subalpine forests but occurred primarily on deciduous host species. Armillariacalvescens was rare and was found only in the boreal forest on both coniferous and deciduous host species.

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Checklist of helminth parasites of threatened vertebrate species from Brazil

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2123.1.1 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2123 (1) ◽

pp. 1-45 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

LUÍS C. MUNIZ-PEREIRA ◽

FABIANO M. VIEIRA ◽

JOSÉ L. LUQUE

Keyword(s):

Host Species ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Vertebrate Species ◽

Helminthological Collection ◽

New Host ◽

Unpublished Information ◽

New Host Records

Using available records, unpublished information retrieved from the Helminthological Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (CHIOC) and published reports, a checklist of the recorded helminth parasites of endangered vertebrates from Brazil was generated. A total of 772 records and 186 helminth species (6 Acanthocephala, 83 Nematoda, 23 Cestoda, 64 Trematoda, 10 Monogenea) in 76 host species (7 Actinopterygii, 8 Chondrichthyes, 1 Amphibia, 10 Reptilia, 22 Aves, 28 Mammalia) from Brazil were listed in the present work, including 39 undetermined helminth species and 10 new host records. This is the first compilation of the helminth parasites of threatened vertebrates in Brazil and in the Neotropics.

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Helminth parasite communities of kangaroos and wallabies (Macropus spp. and Wallabia bicolor) from north and central Queensland

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo98052 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 46 (5) ◽

pp. 473 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

I. Beveridge ◽

N. B. Chilton ◽

P. M. Johnson ◽

L. R. Smales ◽

R. Speare ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Host Species ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Gastrointestinal Helminth ◽

Helminth Communities ◽

Digenetic Trematodes ◽

Single Host ◽

Wallabia Bicolor ◽

High Level

The occurrence of gastrointestinal helminth parasites in 40 Macropus agilis, 12 M. antilopinus, 39 M. dorsalis, 28 M. giganteus, 29 M. parryi, 30 M. robustus and 26 Wallabia bicolor from north and central Queensland was examined. A total of 124 morphologically defined species of helminth was encountered, comprising 103 species of strongyloid nematodes, 6 species of trichostrongyloid nematodes, 2 species of spiruroid nematodes, 4 species of oxyuroid nematodes, 7 species of anoplocephalid cestodes and 2 species of digenetic trematodes. Helminth communities in each macropodid host species exhibited a high level of diversity, and were dominated numerically by strongyloid nematodes. A high proportion of the helminth species was restricted to a single host species and there was a low level of similarity between helminth communities in different host species. Similarities that did occur were not apparently related to the phylogenetic relationships between hosts and are best explained by host switching between hosts sharing overlapping habitats and feeding preferences. There was poor separation of the helminth species into ‘core’, ‘secondary’ and ‘satellite’ members of communities.

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Maximum local helminth parasite community richness in British freshwater fish: a test of the colonization time hypothesis

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182000074862 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 106 (1) ◽

pp. 91-100 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

J.-F. Guégan ◽

C. R. Kennedy

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Host Range ◽

Freshwater Fish ◽

Host Species ◽

Fish Host ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Species Number ◽

Sampling Effort ◽

Component Community ◽

Colonization Time

SUMMARYThe investigation of Price & Clancy (1983), which demonstrated a significant positive correlation between total helminth species number per host species and geographical range of freshwater fish host species in Britain, was re-examined using a different measure of parasite species richness. Re-calculation of the correlations between the two parameters after controlling for the effect of the composition of the list of fish by excluding, on biological and distributional grounds, 2 species of agnathans and 7 species of introduced teleosts, and for the effect of sampling effort by using helminth richness in the richest component community of each fish species rather than check-list data, reveals no significant relationship between helminth species richness and host range. Habitat and an omnivorous host diet now appear more significant determinants of helminth richness than the accumulation of parasites by predation. The findings provide little support for the interpretation of the relationship between helminth species richness and host range in terms of island biogeographic theory, but do support an alternative explanation in terms of the colonization time hypothesis, i.e. that helminth species richness is related to the time since the fish host arrived in Britain.

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Checklist of helminth parasites in wild carnivore mammals from Brazil

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.1721.1.1 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 1721 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

FABIANO M. VIEIRA ◽

JOSÉ L. LUQUE ◽

LUIS C. MUNIZ-PEREIRA

Keyword(s):

Host Species ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Helminth Parasite ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

New Host ◽

Wild Carnivore ◽

Host Parasite

Ninety-five helminth parasite species totaling 480 records (including 60 new host and geographical records) in 21 species of wild carnivore mammals from Brazil were listed. Nineteen undetermined helminth species and 4 undetermined host species were also included. Information about the site of infection of parasites, localities, references and a host-parasite list were included herein.

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Host specificity and the probability of discovering species of helminth parasites

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182004007218 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 130 (6) ◽

pp. 709-715 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

R. POULIN ◽

D. MOUILLOT

Keyword(s):

Host Specificity ◽

Host Species ◽

Animal Species ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Taxonomic Range ◽

Using Data ◽

Species Being

Different animal species have different probabilities of being discovered and described by scientists, and these probabilities are determined to a large extent by the biological characteristics of these species. For instance, species with broader geographical ranges are more likely to be encountered by collectors than species with restricted distributions; indeed, the size of the geographical range is often the best predictor of a species' date of description. For parasitic organisms, host specificity may be similarly linked to the probability of a species being found. Here, using data on 170 helminth species parasitic in freshwater fishes, we show that host specificity is associated with the year in which the helminths were described. Helminths that exploit more host species, and to a lesser degree those that exploit a broader taxonomic range of host species, tend to be discovered earlier than the more host-specific helminths. This pattern was observed across all helminth species, as well as within the different helminth taxa (trematodes, cestodes, nematodes and acanthocephalans). Our results demonstrate that the parasite species known at any given point in time are not a random subset of existing species, but rather a biased subset with respect to the parasites' biological properties.

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Helminth parasites of two sympatric lizards, Enyalius iheringii and E. perditus (Leiosauridae), from an Atlantic Rainforest area of southeastern Brazil

Acta Parasitologica ◽

10.2478/s11686-008-0027-6 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 53 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Davor Vrcibradic ◽

Luciano Anjos ◽

Joaquim Vicente ◽

Charles Bursey

Keyword(s):

Host Species ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Atlantic Rainforest ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Paulo State ◽

São Paulo State

AbstractWe present data on helminths harboured by two sympatric species of Enyalius Wagler, 1830 (E. iheringiii Boulenger, 1885 and E. perditus Jackson, 1978) from the Atlantic Rainforest of the Ilha de São Sebastião, in São Paulo state, southeastern Brazil. Six helminth species were found in the hosts: five nematodes (Cosmocerca sp., Oswaldocruzia burseyi Durette-Desset, Anjos et Vrcibradic, 2006, Oswaldocruzia fredi Durette-Desset, Anjos et Vrcibradic, 2006, Rhabdias sp., and Strongyluris oscari Travassos, 1923), and one acanthocephalan (Acanthocephalus sp.). Overall helminth prevalences were relatively high for both species [6/6 (100%) for E. iheringii and 9/14 (64%) for E. perditus]. The helminth assemblages from both host species were depauperate and dominated by generalist helminths with direct life-cycles.

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Investigating the validity of the species status of the false codling moth in South African deciduous fruit orchards using mating studies and mtDNA

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485316000304 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 106 (5) ◽

pp. 598-605 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

N. Mgocheki ◽

P. Addison

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Host Range ◽

Host Species ◽

Codling Moth ◽

Western Cape ◽

Management Options ◽

Thaumatotibia Leucotreta ◽

False Codling Moth ◽

Fruit Orchards ◽

Mating Tests

AbstractThe false codling moth is a polyphagous pest of various kinds or fruit, and it has expanded its geographical distribution and host range. The expanding host range could result in subspecies requiring varied pest management options. Laboratory no-choice cross-mating tests were conducted to establish whether Thaumatotibia leucotreta individuals from six areas and three host species, in South Africa, share mating characteristics and belong to the same subspecies or strain. The no-choice cross-mating tests indicated that all individuals in self- and out-crosses readily mated within 24 h with those derived from different hosts and areas. The mtDNA results confirmed that all individuals formed one group or clade. Overall, the results indicate that T. leucotreta individuals from the six areas and three host species in the Western Cape Province and two other provinces in South Africa represent a single genetical species. The results imply that similar control options can be effective across host ranges and distribution areas.

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New data on helminth fauna of birds of prey (Falconiformes, Accipitriformes, Strigiformes) in the Slovak Republic

Helminthologia ◽

10.1515/helm-2017-0038 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 314-321 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

P. Komorová ◽

J. Sitko ◽

M. Špakulová ◽

Z. Hurníková ◽

R. Sałamatin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Host Species ◽

Slovak Republic ◽

Bird Species ◽

Helminth Fauna ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Common Finding ◽

Birds Of Prey ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

First Time

Summary In the years 2012-2014, carcasses of 286 birds of prey from the territory of Slovakia were examined for the presence of helminth parasites. The number of bird species in the study was 23; five belonging to the Falconiformes order, eleven to Accipitriformes, and seven to Strigiformes. A finding of Cestoda class comprehended 4 families: Paruterinidae (4), Dilepididae (2), Mesocestoididae (2) and Anoplocephalidae (1). Birds of prey were infected with 6 families Nematoda species of the Secernentea class: Syngamidae (1), Habronematidae (2), Tetrameridae (3), Physalopteridae (1), Acuariidae (1), and Anisakidae (2). Out of the Adenophorea class, the Capillariidae family (1) was confirmed. The Acanthocephala group was represented by the Paleacanthocephala class, the Centrorhynchidae family (3). Out of the Trematoda class, 12 different species of flukes were found, belonging to the Diplostomidae (5), Cyathocotylidae (1), Strigeidae (4), Opistorchidae (1), and Plagiorchidae (1) families. The most frequent helminth species infecting diurnal birds of prey was Strigea falconis. This fluke was confirmed in one bird species from the Falconiformes order and in eight species from the Accipitriformes order. In nocturnal birds of prey, the most common finding was the acanthocephalan Centrorhynchus aluconis, identified in four different host species of the Strigiformes order. In total, 23 helminth species were recorded for the first time in Slovakia.

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Global Geographic Distribution and Host Range of Fusarium circinatum, the Causal Agent of Pine Pitch Canker

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11070724 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 724 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rein Drenkhan ◽

Beccy Ganley ◽

Jorge Martín-García ◽

Petr Vahalík ◽

Kalev Adamson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Host Range ◽

Geographic Distribution ◽

Host Species ◽

Causal Agent ◽

Global Distribution ◽

Host Susceptibility ◽

Pitch Canker ◽

Fusarium Circinatum ◽

Susceptible Host ◽

Pinus Spp

Fusarium circinatum, the causal agent of pine pitch canker (PPC), is currently one of the most important threats of Pinus spp. globally. This pathogen is known in many pine-growing regions, including natural and planted forests, and can affect all life stages of trees, from emerging seedlings to mature trees. Despite the importance of PPC, the global distribution of F. circinatum is poorly documented, and this problem is also true of the hosts within countries that are affected. The aim of this study was to review the global distribution of F. circinatum, with a particular focus on Europe. We considered (1) the current and historical pathogen records, both positive and negative, based on confirmed reports from Europe and globally; (2) the genetic diversity and population structure of the pathogen; (3) the current distribution of PPC in Europe, comparing published models of predicted disease distribution; and (4) host susceptibility by reviewing literature and generating a comprehensive list of known hosts for the fungus. These data were collated from 41 countries and used to compile a specially constructed geo-database. A review of 6297 observation records showed that F. circinatum and the symptoms it causes on conifers occurred in 14 countries, including four in Europe, and is absent in 28 countries. Field observations and experimental data from 138 host species revealed 106 susceptible host species including 85 Pinus species, 6 non-pine tree species and 15 grass and herb species. Our data confirm that susceptibility to F. circinatum varies between different host species, tree ages and environmental characteristics. Knowledge on the geographic distribution, host range and the relative susceptibility of different hosts is essential for disease management, mitigation and containment strategies. The findings reported in this review will support countries that are currently free of F. circinatum in implementing effective procedures and restrictions and prevent further spread of the pathogen.

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