Purpose: The infection of brown trout (Salmo trutta) by the acanthocephalan parasite Echinorhynchus truttae is initiated by the ingestion of gammarid crustaceans harbouring the cystacanth form. Gammarus pulex has been reported as the common intermediate host of this parasite species. The absence of G. pulex in the rivers of Spain suggests that native gammarid species may play the role of intermediate host for E. truttae, which is the only acanthocephalan species reported in salmonids in this country. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether native gammarid species of Galician rivers can act as intermediate hosts of E. truttae.
Methods: A total of 263 gammarid specimens were collected from rivers in Galicia and fixed in 70% ethanol. They were examined under stereomicroscope for the presence of acanthocephalan larval stages.
Results: In one gammarid specimen identified as Echinogammarus lusitanicus, one cystacanth of Echinorhynchus truttae was observed.
Conclusion: The presence of a cystacanth of E. truttae in the gammarid E. lusitanicus indicates that this species play a role as an intermediate host in the life-cycle of this parasite in Galicia, where G. pulex (the most frequently reported intermediate host of this parasite species) is lacking.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11686-024-00913-z | DOI Listing |
J Helminthol
January 2025
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Firat, 23119, Elazig, Türkiye.
The primary definitive host of the giant acanthocephalan, also known as the giant thorny-headed worm (Pallas, 1781), is . The definitive host ingests the parasite by consuming infected scarabaeoid or hydrophilid beetles. This study aimed to ascertain the presence of in the intermediate hosts through molecular analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Helminthol
January 2025
Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 8th Marta St. 202, Yekaterinburg620144, Russia.
The bank vole ( (Schreber, 1780)) is the dominant species in the primary fir-spruce forests of the Visim State Biosphere Reserve in the Middle Urals. Here, we studied the long-term population dynamics of small mammals and infection rates with cestode larvae (Cestoida) of bank voles from 1995 to 2021. In addition to the traditionally studied risk factors of parasite infection (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Helminthol
January 2025
Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin9054, New Zealand.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFTemperature drives ectothermic host - parasite interactions, making them particularly sensitive to climatic variation and change. To isolate the role of temperature, lab-based studies are increasingly used to assess and forecast disease risk under current and future climate conditions. However, in the field, the effects of temperature on parasitism may be mediated by other sources of variation, including local adaptation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall
January 2025
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
Precisely crafted hierarchical architectures found in naturally derived biomaterials underpin the exceptional performance and functionality showcased by the host organism. In particular, layered helical assemblies composed of cellulose, chitin, or collagen serve as the foundation for some of the most mechanically robust and visually striking natural materials. By utilizing structured materials in additive manufacturing techniques such as extrusion-based 3D printing, the intrinsic deformation process can be used to implement bottom-up design of printed constructs, offering the potential to create intricate macroscale geometries with embedded nanoscale functionality.
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