Differences in the compatibility of infection between the liver flukes Fascioloides magna and Fasciola hepatica in a Colombian population of the snail Galba sp.

Abstract

This is an author produced version of a paper published in Journal of Helminthology. This paper has been peer-reviewed and is proof-corrected, but does not include the journal pagination. According to Brown (1978) and Mas-Coma et al. (2005), members within this family can sustain larval development of more than 70 different trematodes. As epidemiological studies made on these parasites need the accurate identification of the snail host, several methods using shell morphology and/or the anatomy of the reproductive system have been proposed over the years to classify these lymnaeids (Hubendick, 1951; Burch, 1982).Shell characters have been extensively, and very often exclusively, used to build the systematics of molluscs. Marine shells are diversified and present a very large set of morphological characters, i.e. protoconch structure, teleoconch ornamentation, radula morphology, etc…, that have proved useful in malacological taxonomy. In freshwater pulmonates, these shell characters are for the most part absent and shell shape only has been used to describe new taxa in the last 19 th and 20 th centuries and even sometimes in most recent years. As a result of using shell as diagnostic species character, a plethora of names may be found in the literature on freshwater pulmonates, numerous probably being synonyms. The case of the Lymnaeidae family is caricatural with about 1200 described species and several dozens of genera (Hubendick, 1951; Burch, 1982), whereas recent studies suggested that the family contained approximately 100 species (Strong et al., 2008; Jarne et al., 2010).The classification systems based on morphological characters of shell shape have rapidly generated a controversy because lymnaeids exhibited a great diversity in shell morphology linked to substantial ecophenotypic plasticity (Samadi et al., 2000; Hurtrez-Boussès et al., 2005;Schniebs et al., 2011). It is accepted that anatomical characteristics of the snail's reproductive system are more homogeneous (Pointier et al., 2009; Correa et al., 2011), but only DNA-based analyses, i.e. phylogeny and barcoding, developed from the 2000s could effectively solve this taxonomic problem. As these last analyses allowed to ascribe individuals to one species or another, several new species such as Lymnaea neotropica (Bargues et al., 2007), Galba sp. (Correa et al., 2010(Correa et al., , 2011 or Lymnaea schirazensis (Bargues et al., 2011) have been recognized and/or described.The conchological characteristics of Galba sp. correspond to that of several dozens of taxa reported in North America, presumably the geographic origin of this small-shelled species clade (see Hubendick, 1951; Burch, 1982; Correa et al., 2010; Johnson et al., 2013). This snail was arbitrarily identified by Bargues et al. (2011) et al., 2011). These two studies (Bargues et al., 2011, and Correa et al., 2011) clearly demonstrated that this taxon is an overlooked highly invasive species.The snail Galba sp. has apparently a worldwide distribution (Correa et al., 2010(Cor...

Reviewing Fasciola hepatica transmission in the West Indies and novel perceptions from experimental infections of sympatric vs. allopatric snail/fluke combinations

“…might facilitate transmission in the field. Moreover, it should also be considered that the presence of G. schirazensis inl curves observed here (<20%, this study) and elsewhere (<35%, Dreyfuss et al, 2015) provided some insight on this issue as higher survival should be expected after parasitic challenge in a refractory host (Ibrahim and Trpis, 1987;Abdel-Hamid et al, 2006). The high mortality observed in exposed G. schirazensis might be related to a "hypersensitivity" phenomenon occurring in the host in association with the parasitic infection that results in an unsuitable environment for F. hepatica development.…”

“…In contrast, G. schirazensis has been found infected in the field (6% prevalence) in Ecuador (Caron et al, 2017) and Bargues et al (2011) found parasitic development in 2 out of 10 exposed snails when challenged with a Polish F. hepatica isolate. Also, populations of G. schirazensis were able to be infected and develop F. hepatica rediae and free cercariae after several laboratory reared generations and experimental exposures, pointing to an eventual increase of its compatibility in relation to the selective pressure of particular parasite genotypes (Dreyfuss et al, 2015). Thus, the role of this species as a potential intermediate host of F. hepatica should not be totally disregarded, particularly if local adaptation occurs.…”

“…To this end, experimental infections are key to explore traits in host-parasite interactions. It is particularly interesting to include G. schirazensis, as to date there is no consensus of its actual role in transmission (Bargues et al, 2011;Dreyfuss et al, 2015;Caron et al, 2017).…”

A new multiplex PCR assay to distinguish among three cryptic Galba species, intermediate hosts of Fasciola hepatica

“…A first study suggested that G. schirazensis does not transmit the parasite (Bargues et al, 2011), but more recent ones showed that it does (Caron et al, 2017;Dreyfuss et al, 2015).…”

The first record of Galba cubensis (L. Pfeiffer, 1839) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) from open fields of Europe

“…In Spain this species has recently been recorded from anthropogenic habitats, such as canals and drainage ditches near rice fields in the Albufera de Valencia (barGueS et al 2011). While some authors suggest that the species is not a vector (barGueS et al 2011), others claim it is (dreyfuSS et al 2015(dreyfuSS et al , caron et al 2017). The reproduction with high self-fertilisation rates recorded in some representatives of the genus Galba (e.g.…”