Host and Seasonal Associations of Echinorhynchus salmonis (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) in Lake Michigan Fishes

1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar M. Amin ◽  
Janet M. Burrows

Echinorhynchus salmonis Müller was the dominant intestinal parasite infecting 14 species of southwestern Lake Michigan fishes. New host records are reported for chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, and slimy sculpin, Cottus cognatus. Infections were heaviest in members of the Salmonidae. Host–parasite relationship in smelt was most closely analyzed. No pronounced seasonal periodicity in the rate and intensity of infection or worm maturation was observed. Recruitment and maturation occurred throughout the year but were, however, enhanced by colder and warmer temperatures, respectively. Sex ratio was nearest to even in winter. Fifty percent or more of worms were localized in the posterior-most region of host intestine and posterior migration with maturation was indicated. Heavier infections were noted in larger (older) fishes. Alternative routes of infection of the larger piscivorous salmonids via transfer hosts are suggested. Female hosts were more heavily infected than males. Echinorhynchus salmonis was not shown to seriously threaten its host's health or survival.

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidiane Franceschini ◽  
Aline Cristina Zago ◽  
Maria Conceição Zocoller-Seno ◽  
Rosicleire Veríssimo-Silveira ◽  
Alexandre Ninhaus-Silveira ◽  
...  

Fifty specimens of Cichla piquiti were collected from the Paraná River downstream of the Ilha Solteira Hydroelectric Power Station in Brazil and surveyed for endohelminth parasites. All fish were parasitised by at least one helminth species (overall prevalence [P] = 100%). Eight parasite taxa were present: the nematode Procamallanus(Procamallanus) peraccuratus in the intestines; third-stage larvae of the anisakids Contracaecumsp. and Hysterothylacium sp. in the visceral cavity, mesentery and serosa of the stomach and intestines and on the liver and spleen; the trematodes Austrodiplostomum compactum in the eye (metacercariae) and Genarchella genarchella in the stomach; and the cestodes Proteocephalus macrophallus, Proteocephalus microscopicus, and Sciadocephalus megalodiscus in the intestines. Hysterothylaciumsp. larvae (P = 86%) and P. microscopicus (P = 74%) were the most prevalent parasites. Anisakids were more prevalent and abundant in the dry season. A negative correlation between the abundances of Hysterothylacium sp. and P. microscopicuswas observed, suggesting a competitive/antagonistic relationship between these parasites. Cichla piquiti represents a new host for four parasite species. These new records significantly increase the list of parasites of C. piquiti, contributing to the knowledge of the host-parasite relationship and the geographical distribution of these helminths.


Parasitology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 137 (10) ◽  
pp. 1487-1491 ◽  
Author(s):  
JENNIFER CAMPBELL ◽  
BETH KESSLER ◽  
CHRISTOPHER MAYACK ◽  
DHRUBA NAUG

SUMMARYInfection by a parasite often induces behavioural changes in the host and these changes may benefit either the host or the parasite. However, whether these changes are active host defence mechanisms or parasitic manipulations or simply incidental byproducts of the infection is not always clear. It has been suggested that understanding the proximate mechanisms of these changes as well as comparative studies could help distinguish these alternatives better. Behavioural fever is a common response to an infection in many animals and we investigated the phenomenon in the novel host-parasite relationship between the honeybee and the temperature-sensitive microsporidian Nosema ceranae. Our results show that infected bees prefer higher temperatures and even though this seems to benefit the pathogen, the proximate mechanism underlying this change is the pathological stress underlying the infection. Especially because it is a new host-parasite relationship, it is best to label the observed behavioural change as a case of incidental benefit although this does not rule out selection acting on it. We discuss the importance of looking at the behavioural outcomes of host-parasite relationships and the importance of studying them at multiple levels for understanding their origin and maintenance.


Parasitology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 134 (13) ◽  
pp. 1903-1910 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELISABETH A. INNES

SUMMARYThe protozoan parasite Neospora caninum is an important cause of reproductive disease in cattle worldwide. The dog is a definitive host for the parasite and the oocyst stage, shed in the faeces, is a source of infection for cattle through consumption of contaminated feed or water. In addition, transplacental transmission of N. caninum is a very efficient means of the parasite infecting a new host and this can occur in successive pregnancies and over several generations. Neospora parasites may cause disease during pregnancy resulting in death of the foetus or birth of live congenitally infected calves that may show some neurological clinical signs at birth. The stage of pregnancy at which infection/parasitaemia occurs is an important factor in determining disease severity. Neospora infection in the first trimester of pregnancy may have more severe consequences for the foetus compared with infection occurring in the final trimester. The host-parasite relationship during pregnancy is a fascinating interaction and research in this area will improve understanding of disease pathogenesis and the various consequences of the host immune response, being host-protective, parasite protective and contributing to disease pathology. Pregnancy poses an interesting problem for the immune system of the dam as she is essentially carrying a semi-allogeneic tissue graft (the foetus) without immunological rejection taking place. To facilitate the pregnancy the cytokine environment in the placenta favours the regulatory Th-2-type cytokines, whose role is to counteract the pro-inflammatory Th1-type immune responses. Protective immunity to N. caninum, similar to many other intracellular parasites, involves Th1-type immune responses, which may pose problems for the dam trying to control a Neospora infection during pregnancy.This paper will discuss the host-parasite relationship at different stages of gestation in pregnant cattle and review the implications of this research for our understanding of disease pathogenesis, parasite transmission and host protection.


1983 ◽  
Vol 113 (7) ◽  
pp. 153-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Hathaway ◽  
W. Ellis ◽  
T. Little ◽  
A. Stevens ◽  
H. Ferguson

Plant Disease ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 96 (12) ◽  
pp. 1763-1766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan-Yu Jen ◽  
Tung-Tsuan Tsay ◽  
Peichen Chen

Aphelenchoides bicaudatus nematodes were identified in planting materials and water samples from 35 floral ornamental nurseries in Taiwan. A pure line of the nematode was established from the bulk samples collected, and the nematode was identified as A. bicaudatus on the basis of morphometric data and the 18S gene sequence (GU984233). Host range tests were conducted by inoculating A. bicaudatus onto Phalaenopsis spp. strawberry, rice, bird's-nest fern, cyclamen, dendrobium, African violet, and saxifrage (all reported hosts of A. besseyi). Symptoms did not develop during the 4 weeks following inoculation. However, after staining, both eggs and nematodes inside plant tissue of Phalaenopsis roots, strawberry leaf buds, and rice sheath indicated that A. bicaudatus had established in these hosts. These results revealed a potential new host–parasite relationship of A. bicaudatus, and suggest that this nematode may infect these economically important hosts.


1965 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 363-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.F.A. Saoud

In the past two decades, considerable evidence has accumulated in the literature about the differences in the susceptibility of various intermediate hosts of Schistosoma mansoni to different strains of the parasite. Comprehensive studies on this aspect of host-parasite relationship have been published by Files & Cram (1949), Abdel-Malek (1950) and Files (1951). The results of more recent studies have been reported by Wright (1962) and Saoud (1964).In the present paper, the writer has studied the susceptibility of four intermediate hosts of S. mansoni from Brazil, Puerto Rico, Egypt and Tanganyika to some strains of the parasite.


1969 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1411-1411
Author(s):  
W. A Webster ◽  
R. R. MacKay

Nematodirus spathiger (Railliet, 1896) Railliet and Henry, 1909 from a horse, and Nematodirus odocoilei Becklund and Walker, 1967 from the white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus, constitute new host–parasite records.


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