The distribution of parasites among hosts is often characterised by a high degree of heterogeneity with a small number of hosts harbouring the majority of parasites. Such patterns of aggregation have been linked to variation in host exposure and susceptibility as well as parasite traits and environmental factors. Host exposure and susceptibility may differ with sexes, reproductive effort and gr...

The selective pressure exerted by parasites on their hosts will to a large extent be influenced by the abundance or biomass of parasites supported by the hosts. Predicting how much parasite biomass can be supported by host individuals or populations should be straightforward: ultimately, parasite biomass must be controlled by resource supply, which is a direct function of host metabolism. Using...

Leishmania donovani is an intracellular protozoan parasite that causes visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Antimonials (SSG) have long been the first-line treatment against VL, but have now been replaced by miltefosine (MIL) in the Indian subcontinent due to the emergence of SSG-resistance. Our previous study hypothesised that SSG-resistant L. donovani might have increased in vivo survival skills whic...

BACKGROUND Parasites can cause energetically costly behavioural and immunological responses which potentially can reduce host fitness. However, although most laboratory studies indicate that the metabolic rate of the host increases with parasite infestation, this has never been shown in free-living host populations. In fact, studies thus far have shown no effect of parasitism on field metabolic...

Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis (CVL) shares many aspects with the human disease and dogs are considered the main urban reservoir of L. infantum in zoonotic VL. Infected dogs develop progressive disease with a large clinical spectrum. A complex balance between the parasite and the genetic/immunological background of the host are decisive for infection evolution and clinical outcome. This study co...

BACKGROUND Neonates are particularly vulnerable to infections, in part because of the incomplete development of their immune system. Recent advances in immunostimulatory treatments based on conserved microbial components led us to assess the potential of oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) for decreasing the sensitivity of neonates to Cryptosporidium parvum infection. METHODS Neonate mice were treat...

Chagas disease is an endemic, neglected tropical disease in Latin America that is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. In vitro models constitute the first experimental approach to study the physiopathology of the disease and to assay potential new trypanocidal agents. Here, we report and describe clearly the use of commercial software (MATLAB(®)) to quantify T. cruzi amastigotes...

Few hosts have many parasites while many hosts have few parasites. This axiom of macroparasite aggregation is so pervasive it is considered a general law in disease ecology, with important implications for the dynamics of host-parasite systems. Because of these dynamical implications, a significant amount of work has explored both the various mechanisms leading to parasite aggregation patterns ...

Samples of the New Zealand cockleAustrovenus stutchburyi (Veneridae) collected at two di¡erent intertidal levels were found to be heavily infected by the echinostome trematode Curtuteria australis which use the mud £at whelk Cominella glandiformis and shorebirds as ¢rst and de¢nitive host, respectively. Parasite loads were on average more than 2-fold higher at the high site than at the low site...