Establishment Success of the Beetle Tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta Depends on Dose and Host Body Condition.

Parasite effects on host fitness and immunology are often intensity-dependent. Unfortunately, only few experimental studies on insect-parasite interactions attempt to control the level of infection, which may contribute substantial variation to the fitness or immunological parameters of interest. The tapeworm -flour beetle model-has been used extensively for ecological and evolutionary host-parasite studies.