Helminth parasite communities in four species of sympatric macropodids in western Victoria

Helminth parasites of Macropus fuliginosus, M. giganteus, M. rufogriseus and Wallabia bicolor were examined in a region of western Victoria, Australia, where all four species of hosts are sympatric. M. fuliginosus and M. giganteus shared most of their parasites while the helminth communities of M. rufogriseus and W. bicolor were distinctive. The sympatric distribution of the host species studied provides evidence in support of the hypothesis that the differences between the parasite communities of M. fuliginosus–M. giganteus compared with those of M. rufogriseus and W. bicolor are due to parasite specificity rather than to host ecological differences. However, lack of detailed data on the ecological differences of these hosts in areas of sympatry prevents more precise conclusions being drawn on the reasons for the distinctiveness of the parasite communities.

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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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Living apart and having similar trouble: are frog helminth parasites determined by the host or by the habitat?

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2016-0066 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 94 (11) ◽

pp. 761-765 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

K.M. Campião ◽

O.T. Dias ◽

R.J. Silva ◽

V.L. Ferreira ◽

L.E.R. Tavares

Keyword(s):

Host Species ◽

Parasite Species ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Sympatric Populations ◽

Behavioral Traits ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Host Habitat ◽

Species Characteristics ◽

Study Sites ◽

Leptodactylus Chaquensis

Sympatric hosts are exposed to similar ecological conditions, particularly if they are closely related phylogenetically and share some physiological and behavioral traits. We studied the sympatric frogs Leptodactylus chaquensis Cei, 1950 and Leptodactylus podicipinus (Cope, 1862) to investigate the extent to which the helminth parasite communities were influenced by host species’ characteristics or habitat location. We described and compared the helminth communities of 50 L. chaquensis and 40 L. podicipinus collected concurrently from two different study sites in Brazil’s Pantanal floodplain. Similarities in the prevalence and mean abundance of helminths were higher among allopatric populations of the same species than among sympatric populations of different species. The effects of host species, size, and habitat on helminth composition were significant. The amount of variance in the helminth community composition explained by host species and size was greater than that explained by host habitat. These results indicate that the main factors determining similarities in parasite species in this study system are the coevolutionary and biological constraints of the host species, which either limit or allow infection of the parasite species despite the host habitat.

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Helminth parasite communities of macropodoid marsupials of the genera Hypsiprymnodon, Aepyprmnus, Thylogale, Onychogalea, Lagorchestes and Dendrolagus from Queensland

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9920359 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 359 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

I Beveridge ◽

R Speare ◽

PM Johnson ◽

DM Spratt

Keyword(s):

Host Species ◽

Feeding Behaviour ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Single Species ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Helminth Community ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Helminth Communities ◽

Host Phylogeny ◽

Dendrolagus Lumholtzi

Helminth parasites were examined from 4 Hypsiprymnodon moschatus, 18 Aepyprymnus rufescens, 13 Thylogale stigmatica, 13 Onychogalea unguifera, 2 0. fraenata, 8 Lagorchestes conspicillatus and 7 Dendrolagus lumholtzi from north and central Queensland. In all, 63 species of nematodes, ten species of cestodes and a single species of trematode were encountered. Helminth communities in H. moschatus and A. rufescens were characterised by few, highly specific parasites; D. lumholtzi similarly harboured few parasites; those of Onychogalea spp. and L. conspicillatus were more diverse and included a number of taxa shared with other macropodine hosts. The helminth community of T. stigmatica was extremely diverse and was dominated by helminths specific to Thylogale spp. The helminth communities of the various host genera showed little similarity to one another, even in the case of host species that were broadly sympatric. This lack of similarity is probably due to a mixture of factors, some related to host phylogeny and others ecological, particularly habitat type and feeding behaviour. The data presented illustrate a wider range of types of helminth communities in macropodoids than reported to date, and little evidence of exchange of parasites with rock-wallabies, Petrogale spp., examined from the same regions of Queensland.

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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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Helminth parasites in two populations of Astronotus ocellatus (Cichliformes: Cichlidae) from the eastern Amazon, Northern Brazil

Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária ◽

10.1590/s1984-29612019052 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 425-431

Author(s):

Raul Henrique da Silva Pinheiro ◽

Marcos Tavares-Dias ◽

Elane Guerreiro Giese

Keyword(s):

Diversity Index ◽

Helminth Parasite ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Intermediate Hosts ◽

Component Community ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Shannon Diversity ◽

Astronotus Ocellatus ◽

Northern Brazil ◽

Two Populations

Abstract This study compared the structure of helminth parasite communities in two populations of Astronotus ocellatus from two localities in Pará State, eastern Amazon (Brazil). Hosts from the Tapajós River were infected by Posthodiplostomum sp. metacercarie, larvae of Contracaecum sp. and Pseudoproleptus sp., with predominance of Contracaecum sp. Hosts from Iara Lake were infected by Procamallanus spiculastriatus, Proteocephalus sp. and Acanthocephala gen. sp., with predominance of P. spiculastriatus. Parasites had an aggregated dispersion and there were differences in Shannon diversity index and the evenness between both host populations, because the parasite component community showed no similarity. The existence of variation in infracommunity and community of parasites for A. ocellatus from different localities indicates the presence of an uneven distribution in terms of species and density of parasites, as well as of intermediate hosts in the localities surveyed.

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New records of helminth parasites of nine species of waterfowl in Mexico, and a checklist of the helminth fauna of Anatidae occurring in Mexican wetlands

Journal of Helminthology ◽

10.1017/s0022149x20000577 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 94 ◽

Author(s):

P. Padilla-Aguilar ◽

E. Romero-Callejas ◽

D. Osorio-Sarabia ◽

G. Pérez–Ponce de León ◽

Y. Alcalá-Canto

Keyword(s):

Migratory Birds ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Parasite Fauna ◽

Helminth Parasite ◽

Human Consumption ◽

Freshwater Ecosystem ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Habitat Conditions ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

The Family

Abstract Wild and domestic populations of waterfowl garner economic benefits, as they are hunted for human consumption or as a recreational activity. Waterfowl migrate to their wintering grounds in Mexican wetlands where habitat conditions are more favourable. In this study, we present a list of helminth species sampled from the gastrointestinal tract of 59 wild birds belonging to the family Anatidae in three localities of Mexico, and a checklist of the helminth parasite fauna of the members of the family in the whole country, built from literature records. After helminthological examination, 25 taxa were identified: eight trematodes; four cestodes; 12 nematodes; and one acanthocephalan. Obtained records dated from 1943 to 2019. Our literature search yielded 563 records corresponding to 95 parasite taxa: 38 trematodes, 24 cestodes, 23 nematodes and ten acanthocephalans. In Mexico, 17 anatid species have been studied for helminths. Records correspond to 55 locations from 20 Mexican states. An insight gained from the collated literature and recent records was that trematodes represent the most diverse parasite group in anatids in Mexico. We briefly discuss that the information about helminths parasitizing waterfowl will be useful for understanding the effect of habitat loss and pollution of wetlands where migratory birds spend the breeding season, for addressing ecological programs aimed to guarantee the health and conservation of North American migratory birds or the effect of bird migration in the composition of the helminth parasite communities, and for freshwater biologists interested in the understanding of freshwater ecosystem health.

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The ecology of parasites of freshwater fishes: the search for patterns

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182009005794 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 136 (12) ◽

pp. 1653-1662 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

C. R. KENNEDY

Keyword(s):

Community Dynamics ◽

Parasite Community ◽

Freshwater Fishes ◽

Convincing Evidence ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Parasite Communities ◽

Space And Time ◽

Long Time ◽

Population And Community Dynamics ◽

Parasite Populations

SUMMARYDevelopments in the study of the ecology of helminth parasites of freshwater fishes over the last half century are reviewed. Most research has of necessity been field based and has involved the search for patterns in population and community dynamics that are repeatable in space and time. Mathematical models predict that under certain conditions host and parasite populations can attain equilibrial levels through operation of regulatory factors. Such factors have been identified in several host-parasite systems and some parasite populations have been shown to persist over long time-periods. However, there is no convincing evidence that fish parasite populations are stable and regulated since in all cases alternative explanations are equally acceptable and it appears that they are non-equilibrial systems. It has proved particularly difficult to detect replicable patterns in parasite communities. Inter-specific competition, evidenced by functional and numerical responses, has been detected in several communities but its occurrence is erratic and its significance unclear. Some studies have failed to find any nested patterns in parasite community structure and richness, whereas others have identified such patterns although they are seldom constant over space and time. Departures from randomness appear to be the exception and then only temporary. It appears that parasite communities are non-equilibrial, stochastic assemblages rather than structured and organized.

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Helminth parasites of Jamaican anoles (Reptilia: Iguanidae): variation in prevalence and intensity with host age and sex in a population of Anolis lineatopus

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182000054044 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 94 (2) ◽

pp. 399-404 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

P. Vogel ◽

D. A. P. Bundy

Keyword(s):

Direct Relationship ◽

Helminth Parasite ◽

Infection Prevalence ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Host Age ◽

Almost All ◽

Low Prevalence ◽

Age Range ◽

Age And Sex

SUMMARYThe Jamaican iguanid lizard Anolis lineatopus is the host of 4 species of helminth parasite: an acanthocephalan (Centrorhynchus spinosus), a digenean (Mesocoelium danforthi), and 2 nematodes (Cyrtosumum scelopori and Thelandros (?cubensis). Prevalance of C. spinosus was unrelated to host age but was considerably higher in males (43%) than in females (10%). The intensity increased with host age: (range: 1–23, median: 3). Prevalence of C. scelopori increased with host age in both sexes: juveniles (<3 months) were uninfected while infection occurred in almost all lizards older than 9 months. Intensity was higher in males (range: 1–403, median: 158) than in females (range: 1–297, median: 86). The infection patterns of C. spinosus and C. scelopori differed significantly from each other and were not consistent with a simplistic direct relationship between time of exposure and infection prevalence. Acanthocephalan and digenean infections occurred at low prevalence and intensity although prevalence in older, larger lizards tended to be higher than in younger, smaller ones.

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

Journal of Helminthology ◽

10.1017/s0022149x19000403 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 94 ◽

Author(s):

A. Spickett ◽

K. Junker ◽

G. Froeschke ◽

V. Haukisalmi ◽

S. Matthee

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Host Range ◽

Geographic Distribution ◽

Host Species ◽

Baseline Data ◽

Helminth Species ◽

Rodent Species ◽

Helminth Parasites ◽

Gastrointestinal Helminths ◽

Naturally Occurring

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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