Effect of Fascioloides magna (Digenea) on fecundity, shell height, and survival rate of Pseudosuccinea columella (Lymnaeidae).
Infection with Fascioloides magna (Digenea) causes serious damage to liver tissue in definitive hosts represented by ruminants, especially cervids. The distribution of F. magna includes the indigenous areas in North America, and the areas to which F. magna was introduced-Central Europe, Southeast Europe, and Italy. The North American intermediate host of F. magna, the freshwater snail Pseudosuccinea columella (Lymnaeidae), is an invasive species recorded in South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Australia, and west and Southeast Europe. In Europe, Galba truncatula is the snail serving for transmission, but P. columella has potential to become here a new intermediate host of F. magna. Little is known about interactions between F. magna and P. columella. In this study, the susceptibility of P. columella (Oregon, USA) to the infection by a single miracidium of the Czech strain of F. magna and the influence of F. magna on snail fecundity, shell height, and survival were evaluated. The data show that the Oregon strain of P. columella is a highly suitable host for the Czech strain of F. magna, with the infection rate of 74 %. In addition, a negative effect on survival rate of infected snails was recorded only in the late phase of infection. The infection was accompanied by a major reduction in egg mass production and by a decrease in the number of eggs per egg mass. The shell height of infected snails did not significantly differ from that in unexposed controls.
Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic. pankra@seznam.cz.
Jan
J
Pankrác
Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Section for Parasitology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.
Adam
A
Novobilský
Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy, INSERM 1094, Limoges, France.
Daniel
D
Rondelaud
Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
Roman
R
Leontovyč
Faculty of Science, Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Vít
V
Syrovátka
Faculty of Forestry, Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovak Republic.
Dušan
D
Rajský
Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
Petr
P
Horák
Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.|Faculty of Science, Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Martin
M
Kašný
D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D003670:Deer / Q000469:parasitology*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005210:Fasciola hepatica / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005211:Fascioliasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005298:Fertility; D008099:Liver / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D058889:Molecular Typing; D009656:North America / Q000453:epidemiology; D010063:Ovum / Q000469:parasitology; D012908:Snails / Q000469:parasitology*; D013020:South America / Q000453:epidemiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D015996:Survival Rate
Fascioloides magna; Fecundity; Growth; Pseudosuccinea columella; Survival