Publications by authors named "Alda P"

Background: Biological invasions pose risks to the normal functioning of ecosystems by altering the structure and composition of several communities. Molluscs stand out as an extensively studied group given their long history of introduction by either natural or anthropogenic dispersal events. An alien population of the lymnaeid species Orientogalba viridis was first sighted in 2009 in southern Spain.

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Fasciolosis is a re-emergent parasitic disease of worldwide significance with a major global impact on livestock health and production. In the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, fasciolosis has been recognized for a long time but little is known about its dynamic as the main investigations are outdated. Three compartments - definitive domestic hosts, intermediate hosts and environment - involved in fasciolosis transmission were studied by applying an integrative and extensive approach: (1) farm and abattoir surveys, (2) snail sampling, identification and infection prospection, and (3) snail habitat analysis; and (4) a questionnaire-based survey to inquire about husbandry practices and environmental risks.

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Fasciola hepatica is a worldwide emerging and re-emerging parasite heavily affecting several regions in South America. Some lymnaeid snail species of American origin are among the major hosts of F. hepatica worldwide.

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Parasites with complex life cycles engaging multiple host species living among different environments well-exemplify the value of a cross-cutting One Health approach to understanding fundamental concerns like disease emergence or spread. Here we provide new information regarding a pathogenic schistosome trematode parasite of both wild and domestic mammals that has recently expanded its known range from mesic/wet environments of the southeastern United States to the arid southwest. In 2018, 12 dogs living near a man-made pond in Moab, Utah, were found positive for , the most westerly report of this endemic North American schistosome, and the first from Utah.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cryptic species pose challenges in systematic and biogeographic studies, especially when they are invasive or transmit diseases.
  • The research focuses on the genus Galba, a group of invasive freshwater snails that reproduce mainly through self-fertilization and can carry liver flukes harmful to humans and livestock.
  • Using an integrative approach involving morphology, molecular data, and broad sampling, the study reveals that Galba has six species or complexes, with significant variations in shell shape and genetic diversity, and emphasizes the necessity of molecular markers for accurate species identification.
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Article Synopsis
  • Fasciolosis, caused by the trematode Fasciola hepatica, poses significant public health issues in tropical areas and impacts economies in developed countries due to infections in livestock.
  • A genetic study conducted in Camargue, France, revealed that 60% of domestic cattle were infected, while lower infection rates were found in wild hosts like nutria (19%) and wild boars (4.5%), highlighting the genetic differences between host populations and their roles in disease transmission.
  • The research also experimentally tested the compatibility of various snail hosts with F. hepatica, showing that certain introduced snail species had higher infection compatibility, suggesting that monitoring multiple host-parasite interactions is crucial for understanding and managing fasciol
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Some Lymnaeid snails are intermediate hosts of the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica, the causal agent of fasciolosis, a zoonotic parasitic disease. Human and livestock fasciolosis has been reported in a highland community located in the Chimborazo Province of the Ecuadorian Andes. However, no previous study has been carried out to identify which snail species act as intermediate host/s of F.

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Fasciolosis is an important food-borne parasitic disease affecting over two million people worldwide with economic losses related to cattle production of up to US$ 3 billion annually. Despite the long known presence of Fasciola hepatica in the Caribbean islands its transmission is not well known. This study reviews historical and recent data on fasciolosis in the West Indies, revealing for the first time the outcomes of sympatric and allopatric fluke/snail interactions in the area by exploring the susceptibility of four lymnaeid species after exposure to F.

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We examined the extent to which supply-side, niche, and competition theories and concepts help explain a trematode community in which one species comprises 87% of the trematode individuals, and the remaining 15 species each have <3%. We collected and dissected the common and wide-ranging snail host Heleobia australis over four seasons from three distinct habitats from the intertidal area of the Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina. Inside a snail, trematodes interact with each other with outcomes that depend on facilitation, competition, and preemption, suggesting that dominant species should be common.

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Fasciolosis is a worldwide disease caused by the liver fluke Fasciola spp. This food- and water-borne disease is a major public health and veterinary issue. It is currently (re)emerging in several regions mainly due to the rapid evolution of human activities.

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Article Synopsis
  • A new molecular tool uses multiplex PCR to quickly and accurately differentiate between three species of freshwater snails (Galba) that transmit fasciolosis, an infectious disease affecting humans and animals.* -
  • The method works by targeting unique microsatellite loci for each species, allowing them to be identified based on the size of DNA fragments produced in a single reaction, even when all three species are present.* -
  • This affordable and efficient technique has been validated against other species identification methods and can be scaled for large samples, aiding in monitoring snail populations and controlling fasciolosis transmission.*
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This is the first study that used species-specific DNA primers to confirm the presence of the heterophyid Ascocotyle (Phagicola) longa Ransom, 1920 in its first intermediate host. The larval stages (rediae and cercariae) of this parasite were morphologically and genetically identified in the gonad of the intertidal mud snail Heleobia australis (d'Orbigny, 1835) (Cochliopidae) in the Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina. In addition, we asked whether the prevalence in H.

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Larval trematodes infecting the snail Heleobia australis (Cochliopidae) from the Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina were surveyed for two years. A total of 7,504 snail specimens was dissected and the larval stages of 15 different trematodes were recovered and examined morphologically. These larvae included four species that had previously been reported from H.

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We elucidate the life cycle of Maritrema orensense for the first time and experimentally confirm that of the sympatric Maritrema bonaerense. In Argentinean estuaries, both species parasitize the cochliopid snail Heleobia australis as first intermediate host, the grapsid crabs Neohelice granulata and Cyrtograpsus angulatus as second intermediate hosts, and gulls as definitive hosts. Here, we describe the daughter sporocysts and cercariae of M.

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This is the first report of Ascocotyle (Phagicola) longa Ransom, 1920 (Digenea: Heterophyidae) in Argentina confirmed by morphological and molecular studies. The metacercaria was found encysted in myotomal musculature, heart and mesentery of the mullet Mugil liza (Pisces: Mugilidae) from Samborombon bay. We provide a morphological description of the metacercaria which we identified using species-specific primers for A.

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