1. Organisms can protect themselves against parasitism by reducing either parasite burden (resistance) or damage caused by parasites at a given burden (tolerance), but little is known about resistance and tolerance to multiple parasites among wild animal populations and species. The fitness effects of parasitism can be broken down into two components: (i) cost of parasite exposure, the differen...

The majority of the parasite assessments of New World primates have been conducted through the identification of the eggs found in faeces, though many species of parasites have very similar eggs, leaving uncertainty in the diagnosis. Here, we present the results of a parasite survey of the three species of primates distributed in Mexico, combining non-invasive sampling with molecular techniques...

Digenean trematode parasites require multiple host species to complete their life cycles, and their abundance can often be strongly correlated with the abundance of their host species. Species richness and abundance of parasites in easily sampled host species may yield an accurate estimate of the species richness and abundance of other hosts in a parasite's life cycle that are difficult to surv...

Helminths include both parasitic nematodes (roundworms) and platyhelminths (trematode and cestode flatworms) that are abundant, and are of clinical importance. The genetic characterization of parasitic flatworms using advanced molecular tools is central to the diagnosis and control of infections. Although the nuclear genome houses suitable genetic markers (e.g., in ribosomal (r) DNA) for specie...

Organisms are exposed to strong selective pressures from several sources, including predators and pathogens. Response to such interacting selective pressures may vary among species that differ in life history and ecology in predictable ways. We consider the impact of multiple enemies (fish predators and trematode parasites) on the behavior of larvae of three anuran species (Lithobates (=Rana) s...

Shell damage and parasitic infections are frequent in gastropods, influencing key snail host life-history traits such as survival, growth, and reproduction. However, their interactions and potential effects on hosts and parasites have never been tested. Host-parasite interactions are particularly interesting in the context of the recently discovered division of labor in trematodes infecting mar...

The positive inter-specific relationship between local abundance and large-scale spatial occupancy is one of the most universal patterns in the distribution of species. However, evidence for the validity of this relationship in the marine realm is still scarce, especially for parasites. Using data from published studies, we investigated this relationship in trematode parasites infecting several...

Trematodes of the class Digenea are parasites with complex life cycles and often use small mammals as definitive hosts; however, they are usually not highly prevalent in this group of mammals. In our work the patterns of occurrence of digeneans parasitizing small mammals were analyzed. The surveys were conducted at four locations, i.e., irrigation fields (Osobowice), a water distribution area (...