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Physiological and Biochemical Zoology :... 2019Tolerance, or the maintenance of host health or fitness at a given parasite burden, has often been studied in evolutionary and medical contexts, particularly with... (Review)
Review
Tolerance, or the maintenance of host health or fitness at a given parasite burden, has often been studied in evolutionary and medical contexts, particularly with respect to effects on the evolution of parasite virulence and individual patient outcomes. These bodies of work have provided insight about tolerance for evolutionary phenomena (e.g., virulence) and individual health (e.g., recovering from an infection). However, due to the specific motivations of that work, few studies have considered the ecological ramifications of variation in tolerance, namely, how variation in forms of tolerance could mediate parasite movement through populations and even community-level disease dynamics. Tolerance is most commonly regarded as the relationship between host fitness and parasite burden. However, few if any studies have actually quantified host fitness, instead utilizing proxies of fitness as the response variables to be regressed against parasite burden. Here, we address how attention to the effects of parasite burden on traits that are relevant to host competence (i.e., the ability to amplify parasites to levels transmissible to other hosts/vectors) will enhance our understanding of disease dynamics in nature. We also provide several forms of guidance for how to overcome the challenges of quantifying tolerance in wild organisms.
Topics: Adaptation, Biological; Animals; Disease Resistance; Host-Parasite Interactions; Parasite Load; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases
PubMed: 30481116
DOI: 10.1086/701169 -
Trends in Parasitology Dec 2019Trait-based research holds high potential to unveil ecological and evolutionary processes. Functional traits are fitness-related characteristics of individuals, which... (Review)
Review
Trait-based research holds high potential to unveil ecological and evolutionary processes. Functional traits are fitness-related characteristics of individuals, which are measured at individual level and defined without using information external to the individual. Despite the usefulness of the functional approach to understand the performance of individuals in ecosystems, and parasitism being the most common life-history strategy on Earth, studies based on functional traits of parasites are still scarce. Since the choice of functional traits is a critical step for any study, we propose a core list of seven functional traits of metazoan parasites, related to three universal challenges faced by organisms (dispersal, establishment, and persistence), and give guidelines to define appropriate functional traits in future parasite community studies.
Topics: Animals; Ecosystem; Host-Parasite Interactions; Life Cycle Stages; Life History Traits; Models, Biological; Parasites; Parasitology
PubMed: 31678065
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.09.003 -
Parasitology Research Apr 2008Parasite community composition of European bitterling (Rhodeus amarus), the only bitterling species occurring on the European continent, was investigated in 16 different...
Parasite community composition of European bitterling (Rhodeus amarus), the only bitterling species occurring on the European continent, was investigated in 16 different localities from four European sea drainages during 1998-2007. A total of 41 species of metazoan parasites was identified. Nine parasite species are new records for European bitterling, namely Dactylogyrus rarissimus, D. suecicus, D. yinwenyingae, Gyrodactylus vimbi, Sphaerostomum globiporum, Petasiger sp., Paryphostomum radiatum, Ichthyocotylurus variegatus and Posthodiplostomum brevicaudatum. The specialist Gyrodactylus rhodei was the most widely distributed and one of the most prevalent species. The most frequent digenean species, represented by larval stages, was Metorchis xanthosomus. The parasite community of European bitterling was characterised by the dominance of generalists and parasites with autogenic life cycles. The rare occurrence of strictly endoparasitic species reflected the specific diet of the fish host. The character of the habitat significantly affected the parasite assemblages of bitterling. The greatest similarity was associated with lentic habitats (gravel pits and oxbows) and the lowest similarity between gravel pits and rivers. Juvenile bitterling from 8mm in length upwards were colonised by metazoan parasites, firstly by the monogenean G. rhodei. Host body size was positively correlated with parasite species richness, but the variability explained by length was low.
Topics: Animals; Body Size; Cyprinidae; Ecosystem; Europe; Fish Diseases; Host-Parasite Interactions; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases, Animal
PubMed: 18180954
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-007-0867-2 -
Infectious Disorders Drug Targets Oct 2010
Topics: Animals; Antiparasitic Agents; Drug Delivery Systems; Food Parasitology; Humans; Parasites
PubMed: 20929436
DOI: 10.2174/187152610793180849 -
Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology Oct 2015A huge variety of protists rely on one or more motile flagella to either move themselves or move fluids and substances around them. Many of these flagellates have... (Review)
Review
A huge variety of protists rely on one or more motile flagella to either move themselves or move fluids and substances around them. Many of these flagellates have evolved a symbiotic or parasitic lifestyle. Several of the parasites have adapted to human hosts, and include agents of prevalent and serious diseases. These unicellular parasites have become specialised in colonising a wide range of biological niches within humans. They usually have diverse transmission cycles, and frequently manifest a variety of distinct morphological stages. The motility of the single or multiple flagella plays important but understudied roles in parasite transmission, host invasion, dispersal, survival, proliferation and pathology. In this review we provide an overview of the important human pathogens that possess a motile flagellum for at least part of their life cycle. We highlight recently published studies that aim to elucidate motility mechanisms, and their relevance for human disease. We then bring the physics of swimming at the microscale into context, emphasising the importance of interdisciplinary approaches for a full understanding of flagellate motility - especially in light of the parasites' microenvironments and population dynamics. Finally, we summarise some important technological aspects, describing challenges for the field and possibilities for motility analyses in the future.
Topics: Animals; Flagella; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Kinetoplastida; Movement; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases; Phylogeny; Plasmodium
PubMed: 26523344
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2015.10.034 -
Trends in Parasitology Jan 2006More than 20 years after Dawkins introduced the concept of "extended phenotype" (i.e. phenotypes of hosts and parasites result from interactions between the two genomes)...
More than 20 years after Dawkins introduced the concept of "extended phenotype" (i.e. phenotypes of hosts and parasites result from interactions between the two genomes) and although this idea has now reached contemporary textbooks of evolutionary biology, most studies of the evolution of host-parasite systems still focus solely on either the host or the parasite, neglecting the role of the other partner. It is important to consider that host and parasite genotypes share control of the epidemiological parameters of their relationship. Moreover, not only the traits of the infection but also the genetic correlations among these and other traits that determine fitness might be controlled by interactions between host and parasite genotypes.
Topics: Alleles; Animals; Biological Evolution; Culicidae; Genotype; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Models, Biological; Models, Genetic; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases; Phenotype; Statistics as Topic
PubMed: 16310412
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2005.11.008 -
Parasitology 1989
Review
Topics: Animals; Antigenic Variation; Disease Vectors; Genetic Variation; Humans; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases; Phenotype; Polymorphism, Genetic
PubMed: 2682482
DOI: 10.1017/s0031182000083475 -
Parazitologiia 1988Many of the major development in the field of parasite community ecology have been due to a switch in focus from a search for pattern to investigation of the processes... (Review)
Review
Many of the major development in the field of parasite community ecology have been due to a switch in focus from a search for pattern to investigation of the processes that produce those patterns. This switch has been accompanied by a recognition that different processes operate at the scale of the individual host (processes determining host specificity and attributes of the niches of the parasites), within the unit of habitat (processes determining population dynamics, exchange of parasites, and transmission), and among units of habitat (processes determining colonization, extinction, or local speciation of parasites). Further developments are likely to depend upon the coordinated use of models, experimental approaches, and field observations aimed at clarifying the conditions under which the processes at each scale became particularly important.
Topics: Animals; Ecology; Host-Parasite Interactions; Parasites; Parasitic Diseases; Parasitology; Terminology as Topic
PubMed: 3290810
DOI: No ID Found -
Trends in Parasitology Mar 2024Nematodes, a diverse group of roundworms, exhibit a wide range of dietary habits, including parasitism of animals and plants. These parasites cause substantial economic... (Review)
Review
Nematodes, a diverse group of roundworms, exhibit a wide range of dietary habits, including parasitism of animals and plants. These parasites cause substantial economic losses in agriculture and pose significant health challenges to humans and animals. This review explores the unique adaptations of parasitic nematodes, emphasizing their nutritional requirements and metabolic dependencies. Recent research has identified cross-kingdom compartmentalization of vitamin B5 biosynthesis in some parasitic nematodes, shedding light on coevolutionary dynamics and potential targets for control strategies. Several open questions remain regarding the complexity of nematode nutrition, host manipulation, evolutionary adaptations, and the influence of environmental factors on their metabolic processes. Understanding these aspects offers promising avenues for targeted interventions to manage and control these economically and medically important parasites.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Nematoda; Plants; Parasites; Agriculture; Feeding Behavior
PubMed: 38262837
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2023.12.013 -
Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 2000Thanks to the phylogenetic systematics revolution, systematic parasitology is poised to make significant contributions in tropical medicine and public health,...
Thanks to the phylogenetic systematics revolution, systematic parasitology is poised to make significant contributions in tropical medicine and public health, biodiversity science, and evolutionary biology. At the same time, the taxonomic impediment is acute within parasitology. Both systematists and non-systematists must be interested in working towards common goals and establishing collaborative efforts in order to re-vitalize and re-populate systematic parasitology.
Topics: Animals; Ecosystem; Parasites; Parasitology; Phylogeny
PubMed: 11142735
DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02762000000700018