scholarly journals Complex relationships between physiological stress and endoparasite infections in natural populations

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 449-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Romeo ◽  
Lucas A Wauters ◽  
Francesca Santicchia ◽  
Ben Dantzer ◽  
Rupert Palme ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Gastrointestinal Parasites ◽  
Sciurus Carolinensis ◽  
Mediated Effects ◽  
Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites ◽  
Immune Mediated ◽  
Complex Relationships

Abstract Short-term elevation of glucocorticoids (GCs) is one of the major physiological mechanisms by which vertebrates cope with challenging environmental or social factors (stressors). However, when exposure to stressors occurs repeatedly or over a prolonged period of time, animals may experience chronic elevation of GCs, which reduces the immune response efficiency and can lead to higher intensity of parasitic infection. Here, we used invasive gray squirrels Sciurus carolinensis introduced in Northern Italy and their 2 most prevalent gastrointestinal parasites, the nematode Strongyloides robustus and coccidia of the genus Eimeria, as a model to investigate relationships among macroparasite infection and concentrations of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs), an integrated measure of circulating GCs. Our results revealed an association of FGMs with infection by St. robustus, but not with coccidia. Individuals with higher FGMs appear to be responsible for the greatest St. robustus egg shedding within gray squirrel populations, thus possibly acting as superspreaders. However, FGMs were negatively associated with adult St. robustus, suggesting that the abundance of adults of this nematode species does not induce elevation in FGMs, but is only affected by it through immune-mediated effects on its fecundity. Finally, the relationship between St. robustus (both eggs and adult parasites) and FGMs was not linear, suggesting that only high levels of physiological stress influence parasite infection. Our findings highlight that the direction and magnitude of the stress–infection relationship may depend not only on the specific host–parasite system, but also on the different life stages of the same parasite.

scholarly journals Relationships between personality traits and the physiological stress response in a wild mammal

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Santicchia ◽  
Lucas A Wauters ◽  
Ben Dantzer ◽  
Sarah E Westrick ◽  
Nicola Ferrari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Sciurus Carolinensis ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites

Abstract Glucocorticoids (GCs) are involved in the regulation of an animal’s energetic state. Under stressful situations, they are part of the neuroendocrine response to cope with environmental challenges. Animals react to aversive stimuli also through behavioral responses, defined as coping styles. Both in captive and wild populations, individuals differ in their behavior along a proactive–reactive continuum. Proactive animals exhibit a bold, active-explorative and social personality, whereas reactive ones are shy, less active-explorative and less social. Here, we test the hypothesis that personality traits and physiological responses to stressors covary, with more proactive individuals having a less pronounced GC stress response. In wild populations of invasive gray squirrels Sciurus carolinensis, we measured fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs), an integrated measure of circulating GCs, and 3 personality traits (activity, sociability, and exploration) derived from open field test (OFT) and mirror image stimulation (MIS) test. Gray squirrels had higher FGMs in Autumn than in Winter and males with scrotal testes had higher FGMs than nonbreeding males. Personality varied with body mass and population density. Squirrels expressed more activity-exploration at higher than at lower density and heavier squirrels had higher scores for activity-exploration than animals that weighed less. Variation in FGM concentrations was not correlated with the expression of the 3 personality traits. Hence, our results do not support a strong association between the behavioral and physiological stress responses but show that in wild populations, where animals experience varying environmental conditions, the GC endocrine response and the expression of personality are uncorrelated traits among individuals.

scholarly journals Direct Cytotoxic and Indirect, Immune-Mediated Effects of Local Anesthetics Against Cancer

2022 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Wu Chuang ◽  
Oliver Kepp ◽  
Guido Kroemer ◽  
Lucillia Bezu
Keyword(s):  
Local Anesthetics ◽  
Oncological Surgery ◽  
Residual Cancer ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Cytotoxic Effects ◽  
Mediated Effects ◽  
Anticancer Effects ◽  
Immune Mediated ◽  
Fundamental Research

Local anesthetics are frequently employed during surgery in order to control peri- and postoperative pain. Retrospective studies have revealed an unexpected correlation between increased long-term survival and the use of local anesthetics during oncological surgery. This effect of local anesthetics might rely on direct cytotoxic effects on malignant cells or on indirect, immune-mediated effects. It is tempting to speculate, yet needs to be formally proven, that the combination of local anesthetics with oncological surgery and conventional anticancer therapy would offer an opportunity to control residual cancer cells. This review summarizes findings from fundamental research together with clinical data on the use of local anesthetics as anticancer standalone drugs or their combination with conventional treatments. We suggest that a better comprehension of the anticancer effects of local anesthetics at the preclinical and clinical levels may broadly improve the surgical treatment of cancer.

scholarly journals Gastrointestinal Parasitic Infestation in HIV Positive and Negative Patients Attending Clinics in a Tertiary Health Care Centre in Benue State, Nigeria.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-131
Author(s):  
L Utume ◽  
TE Ikpom ◽  
AE Obaje ◽  
EA Omudu
Keyword(s):  
Intestinal Parasites ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Gastrointestinal Parasites ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Hiv Status ◽  
Coverage Area ◽  
Health Care Centre ◽  
Awareness Campaigns

Gastrointestinal parasitic infection is usually asymptomatic thus goes unnoticed and untreated for long periods of time, often resulting in other serious health complications. In HIV positive patients, the effects usually are more devastating owing to the fact that such patients are already immunocompromised. For this study, HIV positive patients were raised from the BSUTH STD/ART clinic records while HIV negative patients were recruited from other clinics by confirming their HIV status  using Determine test strips to check for HIV antibodies; socio-demographic data was generated from questionnaires administered. Patients already placed on anti-helminths or anti-protozoan medicines were exempted from the study. Stool samples (n=550; 304 males 246 females) were examined for intestinal parasites using the standard parasitological procedures for direct wet mount and Formol-Ether Concentration methods. Gastrointestinal parasites were identified from 199 (36.2%) samples implying positive results for these infections: Giardia lamblia (3.8%), Entamoeba histolytica (8.9%), Ascaris lumbricoides (7.1%), Entamoeba coli (4.2%), Trichuris trichuria (3.3%), Strongyloides stercoralis (2.2%), Taenia sp. (1.8%), Trichomonas hominis (0.5%) and hookworms (2.9%). Out of this 199 only 55 (27.6%) were HIV positive; statistically there was a significant relationship between HIV status and the rate of parasitic infection (P<0.05). Personal hygiene practices, environmental sanitary conditions, overcrowding, limited access to clean potable water and poor drainage systems influenced gastrointestinal parasitic infection in both HIV positive and negative patients, HIV status may have increased intensity of gastrointestinal parasitic infection. The need for preventive awareness campaigns and mass chemoprophylaxis exercises cannot be overemphasized; government and private sector collaborations will have a wider coverage area and make a lot of impact.

scholarly journals Investigation of gastrointestinal parasites of herbivores at Dhaka National Zoological Garden of Bangladesh

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-85
Author(s):  
SM Rahman ◽  
AR Dey ◽  
UK Kundu ◽  
N Begum
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Infection ◽  
Control Measure ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Gastrointestinal Parasites ◽  
Parasitic Infestation ◽  
Zoological Garden ◽  
Strategic Control ◽  
Balantidium Coli ◽  
Spotted Deer ◽  
Greater Kudu

A total of 52 fecal samples were collected from 21 herbivores at Dhaka zoo during January to May, 2012 to investigate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of herbivores. Overall prevalence of parasitic infection was 76.9%, of which 61.5% were positive for helminths and 55.8% were positive for protozoa. The identified parasites were Balantidium coli (55.8%), Paramphistomum sp. (36.5%), Fasciola sp. (19.2%), stomach worm (3.9%), Ascaris sp. (1.9%) and Strongyloides sp. (1.9%). Overall prevalence of mixed infection was 42.3%. Mixed infection was observed in the animals such as Butani cattle (Balantidium coli and Paramphistomum sp.), Giraffe (Balantidium coli and Paramphistomum sp.), Spotted deer (Balantidium coli, Paramphistomum sp. and Fasciola sp.), Sambar deer (Balantidium coli and Fasciola sp.), Horse (Balantidium coli and Ascaris sp.), Greater kudu (Balantidium coli and Paramphistomum sp.), Nil gai (Balantidium coli and stomach worm), Black wilde beast (Balantidium coli and Paramphistomum sp.), Impala (Balantidium coli and Strongyloides sp.), Hippopotamus (Balantidium coli and Paramphistomum sp.), Zebra (Balantidium coli and Paramphistomum sp.), Wilde beast (Balantidium coli and Paramphistomum sp.; Balantidium coli and Paramphistomum sp. and Fasciola sp.), One Horned Rhinoceros (Balantidium coli and Paramphistomum sp.), Common Eland (Balantidium coli and Paramphistomum sp.), Oryx (Balantidium coli and stomach worm). Diameter of ova or cyst was also measured. Egg per gram/ Cyst per gram of feces (EPG/ CPG) were ranged from 300-1200. Gastrointestinal parasites are highly prevalent in herbivores of Dhaka zoo. Strategic control measure is necessary to protect the endangered species from parasitic infestation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbau.v12i1.21245 J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 12(1): 79-85, June 2014

scholarly journals Colour plasticity in response to social context and parasitic infection in a self-fertilizing fish

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 181418
Author(s):  
Rebecca Jane Pawluk ◽  
Carlos Garcia de Leaniz ◽  
Joanne Cable ◽  
Bernard Tiddeman ◽  
Sofia Consuegra
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Genetic Background ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Inbred Lines ◽  
Body Coloration ◽  
Pathogen Avoidance

Many animal species rely on changes in body coloration to signal social dominance, mating readiness and health status to conspecifics, which can in turn influence reproductive success, social dynamics and pathogen avoidance in natural populations. Such colour changes are thought to be controlled by genetic and environmental conditions, but their relative importance is difficult to measure in natural populations, where individual genetic variability complicates data interpretation. Here, we studied shifts in melanin-related body coloration in response to social context and parasitic infection in two naturally inbred lines of a self-fertilizing fish to disentangle the relative roles of genetic background and individual variation. We found that social context and parasitic infection had a significant effect on body coloration that varied between genetic lines, suggesting the existence of genotype by environment interactions. In addition, individual variation was also important for some of the colour attributes. We suggest that the genetic background drives colour plasticity and that this can maintain phenotypic variation in inbred lines, an adaptive mechanism that may be particularly important when genetic diversity is low.

Indirect Effects of Pesticides on Mosquito Larvae Via Alterations of Community Structure

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 433-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Duquesne ◽  
Matthias Liess
Keyword(s):  
Mosquito Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Toxic Effects ◽  
Additional Stress ◽  
Biological Interactions ◽  
Lethal Effects ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Mediated Effects ◽  
Pesticide Treatment

We describe how pesticides used for mosquito control alter communities in mosquito breeding sites, and how these alterations affect larval populations of mosquitoes. Lethal and sublethal toxic effects modify biological interactions through density- and trait-mediated changes. Density-mediated effects due to pesticide treatment can lead to indirect positive effects on the target species. For example, recolonization of pests can be amplified due to disturbances of antagonistic species. Trait-mediated effects can result in lethal effects of originally sublethal exposure when the pesticide is combined with additional stress. Such lethal effects can result from changes of behavior or sensitivity. Also the immune capacity and resistance of individuals to parasitic infection could be decreased. Furthermore, pesticide treatment can act independently of toxic effects. For example, habitat and oviposition site selection can be influenced. These examples highlight the diversity of processes to be considered when determining the overall consequences of pesticide treatment. We show that a better understanding of these processes is needed to predict effects of pesticides on population dynamics. Such knowledge would have direct benefits in designing mosquito control strategies.

scholarly journals Epidemiological Survey on Gastrointestinal Parasitic Zoonosis in Cattle of Sirajganj District, Bangladesh

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Md. Hazzaz Bin Kabir ◽  
K. B. M. Saiful Islam ◽  
Kamrul Islam ◽  
Mahfuzul Islam ◽  
Shah JungyIbna Karim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Previous History ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Epidemiological Survey ◽  
Gastrointestinal Parasites ◽  
Parasitic Infections ◽  
Indigenous Cattle ◽  
History Of

This study was conducted to evaluate the zoonotic gastrointestinal parasitic infections in cattle at Sirajganj district of Bangladesh during the period from February, 2016 to November, 2016 by coproscopy examination. A total of 150 fecal samples of cattle were collected from the study areas, which examined and found 41 (27.33%) were positive for gastrointestinal parasitic infections that has zoonotic importance. The prevalence of parasitic infection was significantly higher in female (33.7%) than in males (19. 4%). The prevalence of parasite was recorded higher in cross breed than in indigenous cattle which are statistically significant (p≤0.05). In case of age groups, the highest rate of infection was observed in adult of >1 years (28.5%) and the lowest in calves aged ≤1 year (25.4%). Moreover, the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites were higher in poor body conditioned cattle (36.3%) than that of malnourished (34%) and healthy cattle (22.4%). In case of management system, the prevalence of parasitic infections was higher in cattle reared in free range (40.0%) than cattle reared in semi-intensive (28.5%) and intensive system (25.5%). Furthermore, parasitic infections were higher in summer (36.5%) followed by winter season (25.5%) and rainy season (15.7%). A significant correlation (P=0.00) has been found between diarrheic non-diarrhea cattle. Finally, prevalence was significantly (P=0.02) higher in cattle with no previous history of anthelmintic use. From this study, it is concluded that gastrointestinal parasitic infection is a major threat to cattle health and production at Sirajganj district irrespective of age, sex, management system, breed, season, diarrheic and anthelmintic usage.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites on Beef Cattle in Jombang District

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Melda Mufidatul Ifqiyyah ◽  
Boedi Setiawan ◽  
Agus Wijaya
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Gastrointestinal Parasites ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Toxocara Vitulorum ◽  
Cattle Feces ◽  
Feces Sample ◽  
Eimeria Spp ◽  
Blastocystis Spp ◽  
Protozoan Infections

The disease that is quite detrimental to cattle is gastrointestinal parasitic infection. Gastrointestinal parasites infect the cattle by taking host nutrients that would caused emaciation, lethargy, and decreased productivity. This study aims to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in cattle in Jombang District. This research was conducted in July to August 2019 with 100 samples of cattle feces. Sample examinations were carried out in the laboratory of the Division of Veterinary Parasitology, Universitas Airlangga using the sedimentation and floating methods. Detection of parasites in all samples using microscope with magnification of 100x and 400x. On examination, several types of parasites were found included Strongyloides papillosus, Toxocara vitulorum, Oesophagostomum spp., Moniezia expansa, Blastocystis spp. and Eimeria spp. The results of this study were found the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites on beef cattle in Jombang district was 35% with a worm infection prevalence of 15% and protozoan infections of 20%.

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