Calhoun et al. HOW parasite exposure and time drive infection how parasite exposure and time interact to determine Australapatemon burti (Trematoda: Digenea) infections in second intermediate host (Erpobdella microstoma) (Hirudinea: Erpodellidae).

Calhoun et al. HOW parasite exposure and time drive infection how parasite exposure and time interact to determine Australapatemon burti (Trematoda: Digenea) infections in second intermediate host (Erpobdella microstoma) (Hirudinea: Erpodellidae). Exp Parasitol. 2020 Sep 22;:108002 Authors: Calhoun DM, Esfahani E, Locke SA, Moser WE, Johnson PTJ Abstract Australapatemon spp. are cosmopolitan trematodes that infect freshwater snails, aquatic leeches, and birds. Despite their broad geographic distribution, relatively little is known about interactions between Australapatemon spp. and their leech hosts, particularly under experimental conditions and in natural settings. We used experimental exposures to determine how Australapatemon burti cercariae dosage (number administered to leech hosts, Erpobdella microstoma) affected infection success (fraction to encyst as metacercariae), infection abundance, host survival, and host size over the 100 days following exposure. Interestingly, infection success was strongly density-dependent, such that there were no differences in metacercariae load even among hosts exposed to a 30-fold difference in cercariae. This relationship suggests that local processes (e.g., resource availability, interference competition, or host defenses) may play a strong role in parasite transmission. Our results also indicated that metacercariae did not become evident until ∼4 weeks post exposure, with average load clim...
Source: Experimental Parasitology - Category: Parasitology Authors: Tags: Exp Parasitol Source Type: research