Mating multiply may incur costs, such as exposure to predators and to sexually transmitted diseases. Nevertheless, it may be favored, in spite of these costs, as a way to increase the genetic diversity of offspring through fertilization by multiple males. Here, we tested for multiple paternity in a freshwater snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum), which is host to several species of sterilizing trem...

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 (...

In order to determine the current infection status of pond smelts, Hypomesus olidus, and other freshwater fishes with trematode metacercariae, a total of 4,861 pond smelts and 18 other freshwater fishes, collected from the Soyang and Uiam Lakes in Gangwon-do, the Unam Lake in Jeollabuk-do, the Jangseong Lake in Jeollanam-do, the Uirim-ji (lake) in Chungcheongbuk-do, and the Andong Lake in Gyeon...

From complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of Fasciola hepatica available in Genbank, specific primers were designed for a conserved and repetitive region of this trematode. A pair of primers was used for diagnosis of infected Lymnaea columella by F. hepatica during the pre-patent period simultaneously with another pair of primers which amplified the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rD...

We describe the epizootiology of spirorchiid trematode infections in Hawaiian green turtles (Chelonia mydas) by quantifying tissue egg burdens in turtles submitted for necropsy and by assessing antibody response to crude adult worm and egg antigens among a variety of age groups. Hapalotrema sp. and Laeredius sp. predominated in turtles infected with spirorchiids. Tissue egg burdens decreased wi...

The present study was the first attempt to survey the diversity of fish zoonotic parasites in the southern region of Saudi Arabia, particularly the Najran area, from October 2012 to October 2013. Approximately 163 fish representing seven species (two of freshwater fish and five of marine fish) were examined for fish-borne trematode metacercariae using the compression technique, and for zoonotic...

Increased hydrogen ion concentration and decreased carbonate ion concentration in seawater are the most physiologically relevant consequences of ocean acidification (OA). Changes to either chemical species may increase the metabolic cost of physiological processes in marine organisms, and reduce the energy available for growth, reproduction and survival. Parasitic infection also increases the e...

Host-parasite interactions are embedded within complex communities composed of multiple host species and a cryptic assemblage of other parasites. To date, however, surprisingly few studies have explored the joint effects of host and parasite richness on disease risk, despite growing interest in the diversity-disease relationship. Here, we combined field surveys and mechanistic experiments to te...

A cross sectional study was carried out from October 2010 to March 2011 at Andassa Livestock Research Center, North-West Ethiopia. The objective was to determine the prevalence of cattle flukes infection. Faecal samples were collected from a total of 384 cattle, cross breed (n= 39) and Fogera breed (n=345) of all age groups and sex. Sedimentation technique was employed for the recovery of fluke...

The influence of latitude, substrate type, tidal level, and host shell size on trematode species-richness and prevalence were assessed using published data on 255 samples from 54 species of marine intertidal gastropods. The analyses were performed at different levels of statistical independence: among all samples, across snail species, and using phylogenetically independent contrasts. Repeatabi...