Host Castration as a Parasitic Strategy

Baudoin, Mario

doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.1975.tb00213.x

Cited by 251 publications

(212 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…also affect the snails through aminergic pathways as suggested by Delgado et al [34] and Vallejo et al [35]. For example, serotonin may be involved in parasitic castration [67], leading to a redirection of energy resources in infected snails [68][69][70][71][72]. Similarly, the presence of tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivity in the dorsal bodies of Biomphalaria [35] suggests that dopamine could also be involved in the diminished egg laying observed in infected snails [73].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Histamine Immunoreactive Elements in the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems of the Snail, Biomphalaria spp., Intermediate Host for Schistosoma mansoni

et al. 2015

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Histamine appears to be an important transmitter throughout the Animal Kingdom. Gastropods, in particular, have been used in numerous studies establishing potential roles for this biogenic amine in the nervous system and showing its involvement in the generation of diverse behaviours. And yet, the distribution of histamine has only previously been described in a small number of molluscan species. The present study examined the localization of histamine-like immunoreactivity in the central and peripheral nervous systems of pulmonate snails of the genus Biomphalaria. This investigation demonstrates immunoreactive cells throughout the buccal, cerebral, pedal, left parietal and visceral ganglia, indicative of diverse regulatory functions in Biomphalaria. Immunoreactivity was also present in statocyst hair cells, supporting a role for histamine in graviception. In the periphery, dense innervation by immunoreactive fibers was observed in the anterior foot, perioral zone, and other regions of the body wall. This study thus shows that histamine is an abundant transmitter in these snails and its distribution suggest involvement in numerous neural circuits. In addition to providing novel subjects for comparative studies of histaminegic neurons in gastropods, Biomphalaria is also the major intermediate host for the digenetic trematode parasite, which causes human schistosomiasis. The study therefore provides a foundation for understanding potential roles for histamine in interactions between the snail hosts and their trematode parasites.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Histamine Immunoreactive Elements in the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems of the Snail, Biomphalaria spp., Intermediate Host for Schistosoma mansoni

et al. 2015

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“…The present study is to the best of our knowledge the first one experimentally showing that the effect of castrating parasites can lead to increased hosts' lifespan, although previous circumstantial evidence suggested this effect in several animal-parasite systems [6], [9], [13], [15], [16]. This may simply be that parasite reproduction and transmission is somehow less costly than plant reproduction or it may result from an active manipulation of the host, i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Indeed, each unit of resource allocated to host reproduction is lost for the parasite, while the parasite can gain from resource allocated to host survival if this increases its total fitness by lengthening the transmission phase. Castrating parasites are thus expected to have less negative impact on host survivorship than other types of parasites [2], [8] specifically appropriating resources allocated to host reproduction but sparing those allocated to host survival [9]. A few theoretical and experimental works even suggest that castrating parasites could be selected to divert supplemental resources away from host reproduction to host maintenance, leading to gigantism or increased survivorship [10]–[13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Multiple Infection and Relatedness on Virulence: Disease Dynamics in an Experimental Plant Population and Its Castrating Parasite

et al. 2014

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The level of parasite virulence, i.e., the decrease in host's fitness due to a pathogen, is expected to depend on several parameters, such as the type of the disease (e.g., castrating or host-killing) and the prevalence of multiple infections. Although these parameters have been extensively studied theoretically, few empirical data are available to validate theoretical predictions. Using the anther smut castrating disease on Silene latifolia caused by Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae, we studied the dynamics of multiple infections and of different components of virulence (host death, non-recovery and percentage of castrated stems) during the entire lifespan of the host in an experimental population. We monitored the number of fungal genotypes within plants and their relatedness across five years, using microsatellite markers, as well as the rates of recovery and host death in the population. The mean relatedness among genotypes within plants remained at a high level throughout the entire host lifespan despite the dynamics of the disease, with recurrent new infections. Recovery was lower for plants with multiple infections compared to plants infected by a single genotype. As expected for castrating parasites, M. lychnidis-dioicae did not increase host mortality. Mortality varied across years but was generally lower for plants that had been diseased the preceding year. This is one of the few studies to have empirically verified theoretical expectations for castrating parasites, and to show particularly i) that castrated hosts live longer, suggesting that parasites can redirect resources normally used in reproduction to increase host lifespan, lengthening their transmission phase, and ii) that multiple infections increase virulence, here in terms of non-recovery and host castration.

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“…For example, acanthocephalans often induce pathological and irreversible effects on female reproduction but have negligible effects on male reproduction (e.g., Dezfuli et al, 2008). One explanation for this type of sex-specific effect on females is that the energy that would have been allocated to reproduction can be reallocated for both host and parasite growth (Baudoin, 1975). Consistent with this hypothesis, infected female C. intermedius were less active than uninfected females but there was no difference in activity between infected and uninfected males.…”

Section: Multidimensionalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, parasites that establish in females may be under stronger selection than those that establish in males to exploit the hosts in ways that favor their own growth and development (e.g., Baudoin, 1975). One outcome of this type of effect could be that the parasites modify growth of females, but not males, so that the body size of the female is increased during the adult stage to provide more space for the parasite (Baudoin, 1975). Consistent with this hypothesis, infected female C. intermedius were larger than uninfected females whereas there was no difference in body size between infected and uninfected males.…”

Section: Multidimensionalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidimensionality of Modification in an Isopod-Acanthocephalan System

Park

Sparkes

2017

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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The acanthocephalan parasite Acanthocephalus dirus infects the freshwater isopod Caecidotea intermedius as an intermediate host before completing its life cycle in a fish. Transmission to the definitive host occurs after the parasite has reached the cystacanth stage and development into this stage is associated with changes in several behavioral and physiological traits of the host. Despite the numerous examples of trait modification in this system, little is known about the multidimensional nature of this modification. Here, we examined the relationships between cystacanth infection, and expression of multiple traits (body color, refuge use, activity, and body size) of both male and female C. intermedius. The pattern of multidimensional modification was determined for males and females and then measures of behavioral plasticity, individual consistency, and trait correlations were obtained for the modified traits. The results revealed that the overall pattern of host modification differed between males and females. Infected males and females showed similar decreases in body color but differed in changes to the other traits. Infected females were larger and less active than uninfected females, whereas infected males spent less time in refuge than uninfected males. A comparison between two situations revealed that refuge use exhibited high levels of plasticity and activity exhibited high levels of consistency and that these patterns differed based on both host sex and infection status. Analysis of the relationships among modified traits showed that traits appeared to be modified independently of each other and that correlations between traits that existed in one situation were absent in another. We suggest that the pattern of multidimensional modification is sex-specific and that the traits are modified independently. We also show that the patterns of multidimensional modification were not associated with variation in either parasite intensity of parasite size indicting that competitive interactions among parasites did not appear to act as a constraint on host modification.

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Host Castration as a Parasitic Strategy

Cited by 251 publications

References 60 publications

Histamine Immunoreactive Elements in the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems of the Snail, Biomphalaria spp., Intermediate Host for Schistosoma mansoni

Histamine Immunoreactive Elements in the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems of the Snail, Biomphalaria spp., Intermediate Host for Schistosoma mansoni

Influence of Multiple Infection and Relatedness on Virulence: Disease Dynamics in an Experimental Plant Population and Its Castrating Parasite

Multidimensionality of Modification in an Isopod-Acanthocephalan System

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