title: Fasciola hepatica (Trematoda: Digenea): its effect on the life history traits of Pseudosuccinea columella (Gasteropoda: Lymnaeidae), an uncommon interaction.
abstract: An uncommon snail-trematode interaction pattern was found for the Pseudosuccinea columella - Fasciola hepaticamodel under laboratory conditions. Week-old juveniles from two isolates showed very high rates of infection (90.0% and 93.3%) after exposure to five miracidia. They also showed differences in their life history traits when compared to a control group. However, they did not exhibit the increase in size and reduction/cessation in host fecundity which is usually observed in most of the other related snail-trematode systems. In contrast, infected juvenile P. columella showed increased egg laying after the onset of cercarial emission and there was no effect on growth. A third isolate of P. columella was found to be refractory to miracidial infection. This constitutes the first report of non-susceptibility to F. hepatica in a lymnaeid species which is usually susceptible. These non-susceptible snails exhibited lower fecundity and survival compared to non-exposed susceptible snails under identical laboratory conditions. The differences observed in terms of life span and reproduction could result from the cost of resistance for individuals from this isolate.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Malacología, Instituto "Pedro Kourí"(IPK), Apartado 601, Marianao 13, Havana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perera
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Théron
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D003462:Cuba; D005210:Fasciola hepatica / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D010063:Ovum / Q000254:growth & development; D012908:Snails / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology