Variations in levels of parasitism among individuals in a population of hosts underpin the importance of parasites as an evolutionary or ecological force. Factors influencing parasite richness (number of parasite species) and load (abundance and biomass) at the individual host level ultimately form the basis of parasite infection patterns. In fish, diet range (number of prey taxa consumed) and ...

Ornamental fish sector is considered a large international market and parasitical diseases cause a serious damage on this trade’s profits. This study was conducted to investigate the use of garlic (Allium sativum) and chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) aqueous extracts on suppression of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis parasite in guppy fish (Poecilia reticulata). Two experimental groups consisted o...

  The aim of the present study was to report Philometra rischta from Blicca bjoerkna from the Caspian Sea. During this study, from August (2008) to April (2009), 78 fish specimens were collected and transferred to the aquatic research laboratory of Shahid Beheshti University and were examined for parasitic infection. Parasites were fixed in formalin (10%). The parasites were indentified accordi...

  The aim of the present study was to report Philometra rischta from Blicca bjoerkna from the Caspian Sea. During this study, from August (2008) to April (2009), 78 fish specimens were collected and transferred to the aquatic research laboratory of Shahid Beheshti University and were examined for parasitic infection. Parasites were fixed in formalin (10%). The parasites were indentified accordi...

Studies on the factors determining parasite richness in hosts are typically performed using data compiled for various sets of species from disparate habitats. However, parasite transmission is embedded within local trophic networks, and proper comparisons among host species of the drivers of parasite richness should ideally be conducted among hosts belonging to the same local network. Here, we ...

The geographical variation in parasite community structure among populations of the same host species remains one of the least understood aspects of parasite community ecology. Why are parasite communities clearly structured in some host populations, and randomly assembled in others? Here, we address this fundamental question using data on the metazoan parasite communities of different host siz...

Although research on parasite biodiversity has intensified recently, there are signs that parasites remain an underestimated component of total biodiversity in many regions of the planet. To identify geographical hotspots of parasite diversity, we performed qualitative and quantitative analyses of the parasite-host associations in fishes from Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that inclu...

Future water temperature changes may have a profound impact on fish-parasite interactions. However, while the effect of fish, and particularly salmonids, is well-understood, its combined effects with parasitic exposure are not. Here, we use multi-stage experimental approach to explore increased temperatures consistent persistent climate change-induced warming extreme thermal fluctuations from h...

The recent identification of multiple genotypes of the salmonid parasite Ceratonova shasta with different virulence levels in Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha suggests that it is possible to immunize fish against subsequent infection and disease. We hypothesized that exposure of Chinook Salmon to the less-virulent parasite genotype (II) prior to the more virulent parasite genotype (I) wo...