title: Bioaccumulation of Toxoplasma and Cryptosporidium by the freshwater crustacean Gammarus fossarum: Involvement in biomonitoring surveys and trophic transfer.
abstract: The protozoa Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium parvum are public health priorities because their oocysts can persist in recreational, surface, drinking, river, and sea water sources for a long time. To evaluate the capacity of the freshwater crustacean Gammarus fossarum to accumulate T. gondii and C. parvum oocysts, gammarids were exposed to 200, 2000 or 20,000 oocysts per gammarid and per day for 21 days followed by 5 days of depuration. C. parvum DNA was detected by qPCR in G. fossarum in only one out of four pools for the highest concentration and after 14 days of exposure, and T. gondii DNA was detected after 7 days of exposure to the two highest concentrations. Our results document the capacity of G. fossarum to accumulate T. gondii in its tissues proportionally to the ambient concentration; the maximum number of oocysts was detected in gammarid tissues after exposure to 20,000 oocysts per day. Mean values of 3.26 (±3), 21.71 (±15.18), and 17.41 (±10.89) oocysts were detected in gammarids after 7, 14, and 21 days, respectively, and after 5 days of depuration, T. gondii oocysts were still present in gammarid tissues. These results show for the first time that a freshwater crustacean can bioaccumulate T. gondii oocysts, suggesting that G. fossarum is a potential effective bioindicator of protozoan contamination in biomonitoring studies. Moreover, due to its key position in freshwater food webs, G. fossarum could also play a role in the trophic transfer of protozoa.
authors.affiliation: Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Unité Stress Environnementaux et BIOSurveillance des Milieux Aquatiques, UMR-I 02 (SEBIO), Reims, France. Electronic address: aurelie.bigot@univ-reims.fr.
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bigot-Clivot
authors.affiliation: Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Unité Stress Environnementaux et BIOSurveillance des Milieux Aquatiques, UMR-I 02 (SEBIO), Reims, France.
authors.forename: Mélissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Palos Ladeiro
authors.affiliation: Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Unité Stress Environnementaux et BIOSurveillance des Milieux Aquatiques, UMR-I 02 (SEBIO), Reims, France.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lepoutre
authors.affiliation: Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Unité Stress Environnementaux et BIOSurveillance des Milieux Aquatiques, UMR-I 02 (SEBIO), Reims, France.
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bastien
authors.affiliation: Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Unité Stress Environnementaux et BIOSurveillance des Milieux Aquatiques, UMR-I 02 (SEBIO), Reims, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bonnard
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.
authors.forename: Jitender P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dubey
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, EA 3800, SFR CAP-Santé FED 4231, Hôpital Maison Blanche Reims, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Villena
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, EA 3800, SFR CAP-Santé FED 4231, Hôpital Maison Blanche Reims, France.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aubert
authors.affiliation: Institut National de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture, Unité de Recherche Milieux Aquatiques, Ecologie et Pollutions, Ecotoxicologie, Villeurbanne Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Geffard
authors.affiliation: Institut National de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture, Unité de Recherche Milieux Aquatiques, Ecologie et Pollutions, Ecotoxicologie, Villeurbanne Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Adeline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: François
authors.affiliation: Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Unité Stress Environnementaux et BIOSurveillance des Milieux Aquatiques, UMR-I 02 (SEBIO), Reims, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Geffard
mesh_terms: D033304:Amphipoda / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D000818:Animals; D003458:Cryptosporidium; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005618:Fresh Water; D033661:Oocysts; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D045483:Rivers; D012623:Seawater; D012758:Shellfish; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014122:Toxoplasma
keywords: Gammarids; Molecular detection; Oocysts; Protozoa