title: Parasitology: parasite survives predation on its host.
abstract: As prisoners in their living habitat, parasites should be vulnerable to destruction by the predators of their hosts. But we show here that the parasitic gordian worm Paragordius tricuspidatus is able to escape not only from its insect host after ingestion by a fish or frog but also from the digestive tract of the predator. This remarkable tactic enables the worm to continue its life cycle.
authors.affiliation: GEMI, UMR CNRS/IRD 2724, IRD, BP 64501, 34394 Montpellier cedex 5, France. fleur.ponton@mpl.ird.fr
authors.forename: Fleur
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ponton
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lebarbenchon
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lefèvre
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Biron
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Duneau
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005399:Fishes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D006135:Gryllidae / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D010271:Parasites / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D011898:Ranidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014774:Virulence