Migration is one typical behavior that can affect parasite composition and transmission in local host communities,as migratory hosts are often heavily infected and may serve as a'vehicle'to transmit parasites ...Migration is one typical behavior that can affect parasite composition and transmission in local host communities,as migratory hosts are often heavily infected and may serve as a'vehicle'to transmit parasites to new hosts.Therefore,understanding how local parasite transmission is shaped by these highly connected visitors is critical for guiding disease prevention.However,this endeavor is largely hampered by the difficulties of observing transmission processes,especially in natural host-parasite systems.Regarding that,network analysis may provide additional insights to infer cross-species transmission and help identify the reservoir host species.Here,by using a bird-haemosporidian system in the Thousand Island Lake,China,we generated parasite-sharing networks to investigate how migratory hosts may influence sharing patterns and,in turn,the potential transmission in local bird communities.We evaluated the network centrality of migratory birds and assessed the relative importance of host functional traits and phylogenetic relatedness in structuring the propensity of parasite sharing.We found that migratory species significantly shaped the overall network structure by bridging distinct modules,though they exhibited no superior importance than resident birds when referring to node centrality.Moreover,we found that node centrality and the extent of parasite sharing of hosts are mainly predicted by host functional traits,while host phylogenetic relationships played a relatively minor role.Our findings highlight the vital role of migratory birds on parasite sharing in local communities and suggest that host functional traits could be key drivers of potential cross-species transmission.展开更多
Urbanization is a complex and multivariate environmental change,leading to habitat fragmentation and loss,changes in local climate,soil imperviousness,pollution,etc.This is likely to exert pressures simultaneously on ...Urbanization is a complex and multivariate environmental change,leading to habitat fragmentation and loss,changes in local climate,soil imperviousness,pollution,etc.This is likely to exert pressures simultaneously on various dimensions of organisms’multivariate phenotypes,leading to trait shifts with potential ecological consequences.However,responses to urbanization are often studied one(type of)trait at a time.In this context,we studied how,in the brown garden snail Cornu aspersum,shell phenotype(shell size and coloreflectance),behavior(food intake,mobility),and metazoan parasite prevalence respond to urbanization.Within an urbanization gradient spanning the French city of Rennes,we found that snails from more urbanized sites closer to the urban center were smaller,whereas urbanization had no detectable effect on shell reflectance,parasite prevalence,or behavior.Larger snails and snails with paler shells were more likely to be infected by trematode metacercariae and sexually transmitted nematodes(Nemhelix bakeri),respectively.Snails harboring trematode sporocysts ate typically less,while those infected by N.bakeri moved more slowly.We discuss the decrease of snail size along the urbanization gradient in relation to the Urban Heat Island effect and the potential decrease of resource quality and availability in urban sites.The absence of detectable effects of urbanization on shell reflectance,mobility,and parasite prevalence may be due to scale mismatches between how urbanization is measured and how snails experience microhabitats.We propose further experimental and field studies to decipher interactions between urbanization effects,shell phenotype,life-history traits,and parasitism.展开更多
Parasites,such as flatworms,nematodes,and pentastomes,are commonly found inhabiting reptiles.In this study,we examined parasite infection status in 10 squamate species,including 5 snake species and 5 lizard species.We...Parasites,such as flatworms,nematodes,and pentastomes,are commonly found inhabiting reptiles.In this study,we examined parasite infection status in 10 squamate species,including 5 snake species and 5 lizard species.We identified one genuslevel and nine species-level parasites in these hosts,which belong to the phyla Platyhelminthes,Nemathelminthes,and Arthropoda.The overall infection rate was 45%,with significant differences in infection rates between lizard and snake species.Parasites in snakes included the Kalicephalus sp.,Ophidascaris filaria,Ophiotaenia bungari,Raillietiella orientalis and Spirometra erinaceieuropaei,and parasitic parasites in lizards were mainly composed of Meteterakis japonica,Plagiorchis koreanus,Spauligodon carbonelli,Spauligodon saxicolae and Strongyluris calotis,respectively.There were significant differences in infection rates among different species and regions,and even among different tissues of the same species.The overall investigation of squamate parasites in China will provide some basic information for public health safety.展开更多
Gastrointestinal(GI)parasites are a global concern and cause serious damage to the health of animals,including horses,because of their deleterious effects on the health of these animals.Owing to improperly diagnosing ...Gastrointestinal(GI)parasites are a global concern and cause serious damage to the health of animals,including horses,because of their deleterious effects on the health of these animals.Owing to improperly diagnosing the parasitic load and the resulting incorrect treatment,anthelmintics are becoming a global problem.Although rapid diagnostic techniques such as McMaster and FECPAKG2 are available in Africa,concentration techniques,including flotation and sedimentation,are commonly used in screening for gastrointestinal parasites.In this study,we compared the sensitivity of diagnostic techniques,namely,McMaster and FECPAKG2,in quantifying and determining the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites as an alternative to the commonly used flotation and sedimentation techniques for equine fecal samples in Jos,Plateau State,Nigeria.Three hundred fecal samples were collected from different locations.The instructions provided by the manufacturers of FECPAKG2 and McMasters were used as the methodology for egg count per gram of fecal matter,while parasite egg/ova identification was performed through sedimentation and flotation techniques.In general,a prevalence of 66.3%was recorded,with a higher prevalence on Babale ranch(84%)than on Jos Polo Club(62%)and Jos mounted troop(53%).A total of nine gastrointestinal parasites were identified via both sedimentation and flotation techniques:Strongylus spp.(19.3%)was the most prevalent parasite identified via the flotation method,whereas Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus(25.3%)was the most prevalent parasite identified via the sedimentation technique.In general,FECPAKG2 had a sensitivity of 86%,whereas McMaster had a sensitivity of 64%in terms of egg counts per gram of fecal sample.This finding suggests that equines in Jos are highly infected with a variety of gastrointestinal parasites to varying degrees,with Strongylus spp.and Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus being more prevalent.Although the parasite load was found to range from low to moderate levels,the majority of the equine samples contained<200 eggs per gram,suggesting a low infection rate via both the McMaster technique and the FECPAKG2 technique.On the basis of these findings,FECPAKG2 is recommended for rapid diagnosis because of its prompt outcome and infestation rate as well as ease of routine examination.Additionally,routine examination should be carried out to determine infestation by gastrointestinal parasites in all equine holdings and the effectiveness of the therapeutic agents used.展开更多
Objective:To ascertain the prevalence and distribution of malaria parasites among the three monkeys species from three provinces in Sumatra Island,Indonesia.Methods:Infections with Plasmodium spp.were determined morph...Objective:To ascertain the prevalence and distribution of malaria parasites among the three monkeys species from three provinces in Sumatra Island,Indonesia.Methods:Infections with Plasmodium spp.were determined morphologically from the blood smears which were stained with Giemsa solution and molecularly through nested polymerase chain reaction(PCR)in DNA samples from 68 primates,which were captured at three locations:Jambi(Bungo district),Bengkulu(Muko-Muko district),and Riau Islands(Lingga district).Results:Out of 68 samples analyzed,46 were positive for various Plasmodium species,including Plasmodium knowlesi,Plasmodium cynamolgi,Plasmodium inui,and Plasmodium coatneyi.Over one-third of the population exhibited multiple infections,with Plasmodium inui being the most predominant strain.Conclusions:The high prevalence of multiple malaria infections in monkeys,coupled with the rising reports of primate malaria cases in human raises questions about the potential for human transmission.These findings emphasize the necessity for ongoing monitoring and endeavors to comprehend and alleviate the risk of zoonotic malaria transmission,particularly in areas experiencing environmental changes.展开更多
Parasites have coexisted with humans throughout history,forming either symbiotic relationships or causing significant morbidity and mortality.The liver is particularly vulnerable to parasitic infections,which can resi...Parasites have coexisted with humans throughout history,forming either symbiotic relationships or causing significant morbidity and mortality.The liver is particularly vulnerable to parasitic infections,which can reside in,pass through,or be transported to the liver,leading to severe damage.This editorial explores various parasites that infect the liver,their clinical implications,and diagnostic considerations,as discussed in the article“Parasites of the liver:A global problem?”.Parasites reach the liver primarily through oral ingestion,mucosal penetration,or the bloodstream,with some larvae even penetrating the skin.Hepatic parasites such as cestodes(Echinococcus),trematodes(Clonorchis,Opisthorchis),nematodes(Ascaris),and protozoa(Entamoeba histolytica)can also cause systemic infections like visceral leishmaniasis,malaria,cryptosporidiosis,and toxoplasmosis.Chronic infections like clonorchiasis and opisthorchiasis are linked to persistent hepatobiliary inflammation,potentially progressing to cholangiocarcinoma,a fatal bile duct cancer,particularly prevalent in Southeast Asia.The global nature of liver parasite infestations is alarming,with hundreds of millions affected worldwide.However,control over treatment quality remains suboptimal.Given the significant public health threat posed by these parasites,international medical organizations must prioritize improved diagnosis,treatment,and preventive measures.Strengthening educational efforts and enhancing healthcare provider training are critical steps toward mitigating the global impact of parasitic liver diseases.展开更多
In this modern era,with the rise of“Internet+education”,colleges and universities have actively responded by using information technology to improve teaching models,introducing platforms such as Chaoxing Learning Pa...In this modern era,with the rise of“Internet+education”,colleges and universities have actively responded by using information technology to improve teaching models,introducing platforms such as Chaoxing Learning Pass,Rain Classroom,and MOOCs to carry out online teaching.A new online teaching model for the“Parasite Inspection”course from the perspective of digital education has been initially explored,which has improved the teaching quality of the course.Based on this,this paper will outline the“Parasite Inspection”course from the perspective of digital education and its current teaching situation,and discuss the promotion strategies for the online teaching reform of the“Parasite Inspection”course under the perspective of digital education.展开更多
Researchers from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology(IGDB)of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,with collaborators,identified two sorghum genes(SbSLT1 and SbSLT2)that block Striga-a parasitic plant,also k...Researchers from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology(IGDB)of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,with collaborators,identified two sorghum genes(SbSLT1 and SbSLT2)that block Striga-a parasitic plant,also known as“witchweed,”that causes$1.5 billion annual losses in Africa by draining crop nutrients.Published in Cell(February 12,2025),the study shows that these genes regulate strigolactones(SLs).展开更多
The brood-parasitic brown-headed cowbird(Molothrus ater)has one of the shortest incubation periods of any bird.Brown-headed cowbird eggs,and those of other avian brood parasites,tend to be more spherical due to their ...The brood-parasitic brown-headed cowbird(Molothrus ater)has one of the shortest incubation periods of any bird.Brown-headed cowbird eggs,and those of other avian brood parasites,tend to be more spherical due to their greater relative width.The traditional explanation for this egg shape is that it,combined with the thicker eggshells,resists host puncture-ejection.However,very few North American hosts of the brownheaded cowbird actually engage in puncture-ejection and therefore wider eggs may instead provide greater contact with a host’s brood patch during incubation,especially in large host nests.We tested whether greater egg width increased mean temperature and reduced temperature variation in brown-headed cowbirds by inserting temperature probes into brown-headed cowbird and house sparrow(Passer domesticus)eggs and placing them into red-winged blackbird(Agelaius phoeniceus)nests.House sparrow eggs are similar in appearance and in length to cowbird eggs,but are not as wide.We found no signifcant relationship between brown-headed cowbird egg width and mean incubation temperature.However,brown-headed cowbird eggs experienced less temperature variation than house sparrow eggs,and within brown-headed cowbird eggs,more spherical eggs experienced less temperature variation when accounting for differences in width.These results suggest that brownheaded cowbirds may have short incubation periods in part because their eggs exhibit less temperature variation over the course of incubation.The brown-headed cowbird’s egg shape may contribute to its accelerated embryonic development rate relative to host eggs of similar size,which explains its ability to hatch in a variety of host nests.展开更多
Background: Parasites have adverse effects on the life and survival of many migratory waterbirds, especially birds on the endangered species list. Hooded Cranes are large migratory colonial waterbirds wintering in wet...Background: Parasites have adverse effects on the life and survival of many migratory waterbirds, especially birds on the endangered species list. Hooded Cranes are large migratory colonial waterbirds wintering in wetlands,which are prone to parasite infection, thus monitoring the diversity of parasites is important for sound wetland management and protection of this species.Methods: From November 2012 to April 2013, we collected 821 fresh faecal samples from the three lakes(Poyang,Caizi and Shengjin Lake) in the lower and middle Yangtze River floodplain, and detected with saturated brine floating and centrifugal sedimentation methods. Parasite eggs were quantified with a modified Mc Master's counting method.Results: In this study, 11 species of parasites were discovered, i.e., two coccidium(Eimeria gruis, E. reichenowi), five nematodes(Capillaria sp., Strongyloides sp., Ascaridia sp., Trichostrongylus sp., Ancylostomatidae), three trematodes(Echinostoma sp., Echinochasmus sp., Fasciolopsis sp.) and one cestode(Hymenolepis sp.). About 57.7% of the faecal samples showed parasitic infection. All species of parasites were found at the three sites except Hymenolepis which was not found at Poyang Lake. While most samples were affected by only one or two species of parasites, infection by Eimeria spp. was the most common(53.1%). From One-Way ANOVA analysis of the three lakes, parasite species richness index(p = 0.656), diversity index(p = 0.598) and evenness index(p = 0.612) showed no significant difference. According to the statistical analysis of our data, there were no significant difference in parasite species richness index(p = 0.678) and evenness index(p = 0.238) between wintering periods, but a strong difference in diversity index(p < 0.05).Conclusions: Our study suggests that in the wintering Hooded Crane populations, parasite diversity is more sensitive to changes in the overwintering periods than to locations. This also indicates that with the limitations of migration distance, the parasites may not form the differentiation in Hooded Crane populations of the three lakes.展开更多
Astyanax mexicanus has repeatedly colonized cave environments,displaying evolutionary parallelisms in many troglobitic traits.Despite being a model system for the study of adaptation to life in perpetual darkness,the ...Astyanax mexicanus has repeatedly colonized cave environments,displaying evolutionary parallelisms in many troglobitic traits.Despite being a model system for the study of adaptation to life in perpetual darkness,the parasites that infect cavefish are practically unknown.In this study,we investigated the macroparasite communities in 18 cavefish populations from independent lineages and compared them with the parasite diversity found in their sister surface fish populations,with the aim of better understanding the role that parasites play in the colonization of new environments.Within the cavefish populations,we identified 13 parasite taxa,including a subset of 10 of the 27 parasite taxa known for the surface populations.Parasites infecting the cavefish belong to five taxonomic groups,including trematodes,monogeneans,nematodes,copepods,and acari.Monogeneans are the most dominant group,found in 14 caves.The macroparasites include species with direct life cycles and trophic transmission,including invasive species.Surprisingly,paired comparisons indicate higher parasite richness in the cavefish than in the surface fish.Spatial variation in parasite composition across the caves suggests historical and geographical contingencies in the host-parasite colonization process and potential evolution of local adaptations.This base-line data on parasite diversity in cavefish populations of A.mexicanus provides a foundation to explore the role of divergent parasite infections under contrasting ecological pressures(cave vs.surface environments)in the evolution of cave adaptive traits.展开更多
Objective:To determine the frequency of malaria parasite detection from the buffy coal blood films by using capillary tube in falciparum malaria patients with negative conventional thick films.Methods:Thirty six uncom...Objective:To determine the frequency of malaria parasite detection from the buffy coal blood films by using capillary tube in falciparum malaria patients with negative conventional thick films.Methods:Thirty six uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients confirmed by conventional thick and thin films were included in the study.The patients were treated with artemisinin combination therapy at Hospital for Tropical Diseases,Bangkok,Thailand for 28 day.Fingerpricks for conventional blood films were conducted every 6 hours until negative parasitemia,then daily fingerpricks for parasite checks were conducted until the patients were discharged from hospital. Blood samples were also concurrently collected in 3 heparinized capillary tubes at the same time of fingerpricks for conventional blood films when the prior parasitemia was negative on thin films and parasitemia was lower than 50 parasites/200 white blood cells by thick film.The first negative conventional thick films were compared with buffy coat thick films for parasite identification. Results:Out of 36 patients with thick films showing negative for asexual forms of parasites, buffy coat films could detect remaining 10 patients(27.8%) with asexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum.Conclusions:The study shows that buffy coat thick films are useful and can detect malarial parasites in 27.8%of patients whose conventional thick films show negative parasitemia.展开更多
Objective:To determine the magnitude of opportunistic and non-opportunistic intestinal parasitic infections among HTV/AIDS patients in Bahir Dar.Methods:Cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV/ AIDS patients att...Objective:To determine the magnitude of opportunistic and non-opportunistic intestinal parasitic infections among HTV/AIDS patients in Bahir Dar.Methods:Cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV/ AIDS patients attending Gambi higher clinic from Aprill- May 30,2009. Convenient sampling technique was employed to identify the study subjects and hence a total of 248 subjects were included.A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data of patients.Stool samples were examined by direct saline,iodine wet mount, formol-ether sedimentation concentration and modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique. Results:Out of 248 enrolled in the study,171(69.0%)(90 males and 81 females) were infected with one or more intestinal parasites.The highest rate of intestinal parasites were observed among HIV/AIDS patients(80.3%,151/188),and the infection rate of HIV negative individuals was 33.3%(20/60).Cryptosporidum parvum(43.6%),Isospora belli(15.5%) and Blastocystis hominis (10.5%) were opportunistic parasites that were found only in HIV/AIDS patients.Conclusions: Opportunistic parasite infections are common health problem among HIV/ AIDS patients in the study area.Therefore,early detection and treatment of these parasites are important to improve the quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients.展开更多
Parasites can increase infection rates and pathogenicity in immunocompromised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients. However, in vitro studies and epidemiological investigations also suggest that parasites mig...Parasites can increase infection rates and pathogenicity in immunocompromised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients. However, in vitro studies and epidemiological investigations also suggest that parasites might escape immunocompromised hosts during HIV infection Due to the lack of direct evidence from animal experiments, the effects of immunocompromised hosts parasitic infections on remain unclear. Here we detected 14 different parasites in six northern pig-tailed macaques (NPMs) before or at the 50th week of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection by ELISA. The NPMs all carried parasites before viral injection. At the 50th week after viral injection, the individuals with negative results in parasitic detection (i.e., 08247 and 08287) were characterized as the Parasites Exit (PE) group, with the other individuals (i.e., 09203, 09211, 10205, and 10225) characterized as the Parasites Remain (PR) group. Compared with the PR group, the NPMs in the PE group showed higher viral loads, lower CD4+ T cells counts, and lower CD4/CD8 rates. Additionally, the PE group had higher immune activation and immune exhaustion of both CD4~ and CD8~ T cells. Pathological observation showed greater injury to the liver, cecum, colon, spleen, and mesenteric lymph nodes in the PE group This study showed more seriously compromised immunity in the PE group, strongly indicating that parasites might exit an immunocompromised host.展开更多
Parasites generally have a negative influence on the color expression of their hosts.Sexual selection theory predicts resistant high-quality individuals should show intense coloration,whereas susceptible low-quality i...Parasites generally have a negative influence on the color expression of their hosts.Sexual selection theory predicts resistant high-quality individuals should show intense coloration,whereas susceptible low-quality individuals would show poor coloration.However,intensely colored males of different species of Oid and New World lizards were more often infected by hemoparasites.These results suggest that high-quality males,with intense coloration,would suffer higher susceptibility to hemoparasites.This hypothesis remains poorly understood and contradicts general theories on sexual selection.We surveyed a population of Sceloporus occidentalis for parasites and found infections by the parasite genera Lankesterella and Acroeimeria.In this population,both males and females express ventral blue and yellow color patches.Lankesterella was almost exclusively infecting males.The body size of the males significantly predicted the coloration of both blue and yellow patches.Larger males showed darker(lower lightness)blue ventral patches and more saturated yellow patches that were also orange-skewed.Moreover,these males were more often infected by Lankesterella than smaller males.The intestinal parasite Acroeimeria infected both males and females.The infection by intestinal parasites of the genus Acroeimeria was the best predictor for the chroma in the blue patch of the males and for hue in the yellow patch of the females.Those males infected by Acroeimeria expressed blue patches with significantly lower chroma than the uninfected males.However,the hue of the yellow patch was not significantly different between infected and uninfected females.These results suggest a different effect of Lankesterella and Acroeimeria on the lizards.On the one hand,the intense coloration of male lizards infected by Lankesterella suggested high-quality male lizards may tolerate it.On the other hand,the low chroma of the blue coloration of the infected males suggested that this coloration could honestly express the infection by Acroeimeria.展开更多
Parasites are globally widespread pathogenic organisms,which impose im portant selective forces upon their hosts.Thus,in accordance with the A djustm ent to parasite pressure hypothesis,it is expected that defenses am...Parasites are globally widespread pathogenic organisms,which impose im portant selective forces upon their hosts.Thus,in accordance with the A djustm ent to parasite pressure hypothesis,it is expected that defenses among hosts vary relative to the selective pressure imposed by parasites.According to the latitudinal gradient in diversity,species richness and abundance of parasites peak near the equator.The uropygial gland is an im portant defensive exocrine gland against pathogens in birds.Size of the uropygial gland has been proposed to vary among species of birds because of divergent selection by pathogens on their hosts.Therefore,we should expect that bird species from the tropics should have relatively larger uropygial glands for their body size than species from higher latitudes.However,this hypothesis has not yet been explored.Here,we analyze the size of the uropygial gland of 1719 individual birds belonging to 36 bird species from 3 Neotropical(Peru)and 3 temperate areas(Spain).Relative uropygial gland volum e was 12.52%larger in bird species from the tropics than from temperate areas.This finding is consistent w ith the relative size of this defensive organ being driven by selective pressures imposed by parasites.We also explored the potential role of this gland as a means of avoiding haemosporidian infection,showing that species with large uropygial glands for their body size tend to have lower mean prevalence of haemosporidian infection,regardless o f their geographical origin.This result provides additional support for the assum ption that secretions from the uropygial gland reduce the likelihood of becoming infected with haemosporidians.展开更多
Considering that the field is largely unexplored and its importance to aquaculture,outline of oomycetes and fungi parasiting on marine algae was provided in this paper,including 15 species of oomycetes,six species of ...Considering that the field is largely unexplored and its importance to aquaculture,outline of oomycetes and fungi parasiting on marine algae was provided in this paper,including 15 species of oomycetes,six species of chytrids,31 Ascomycota species and one species of mitosporic fungi.In natrue,both the oomycetes and chytrids frequently occurred and induced prevalences of disease which could destroy the populations of host plants greatly.However,the parasites in Ascomycota on algae have never occurred as epidemics so far.Some issues relating to the field were discussed such as performing tests to satisfy Koch's postulates,investigations of host specificity,interactions between host and parasite and the potential effects of environmental factors on occurrence of a disease,which are urgent in need of further investigations.展开更多
Brood parasites such as the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus exploit the parental abilities of their hosts,hosts avoid brood parasitism and predation by showing specific behavior such as loss of feathers,emission of fear...Brood parasites such as the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus exploit the parental abilities of their hosts,hosts avoid brood parasitism and predation by showing specific behavior such as loss of feathers,emission of fear screams and contact calls,displaying wriggle behavior to avoid hosts or potential prey,pecking at hosts and prey,and expressing tonic immobility(showing behavior like feigning death or rapid escape from predators and brood parasites).These aspects of escape behavior are consistent for individuals but also among sites,seasons,and years.Escape behavior expressed in response to a broad range of cuckoo hosts and prey are consistently used against capture by humans,but also hosts and brood parasites and predators and their prey.An interspecific comparative phylogenetic analysis of escape behavior by hosts and their brood parasites and prey and their predators revealed evidence of consistent behavior when encountering potential parasites or predators.We hypothesize that personality axes such as those ranging from fearfulness to being bold,and from neophobic to curiosity response in brood parasites constitute important components of defense against brood parasitism that reduces the overall risk of parasitism.展开更多
Objective:This study aims to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites infesting the vegetable foodstuffs and determine the parasitological profile of the vegetable foodstuffs examined.Methods:About 200 randoml...Objective:This study aims to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites infesting the vegetable foodstuffs and determine the parasitological profile of the vegetable foodstuffs examined.Methods:About 200 randomly sampled vegetable foodstuffs obtained from the vendors of the Balintawak and Divisoria public markets were examined for the occurrence of intestinal parasites.Results:A total of 119(59.5%) vegetable foodstuffs examined were tested positive.The most common parasite found was the Ascaris lumbricoides.No significant differences between the prevalence of intestinal parasites at the two public markets were found(P 】 0.05).Conclusion: The vegetables can be a potential source of parasitic infection.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32001124,32030066,32271605)São Paulo Research Foundation(2025/09699-4)。
摘要Migration is one typical behavior that can affect parasite composition and transmission in local host communities,as migratory hosts are often heavily infected and may serve as a'vehicle'to transmit parasites to new hosts.Therefore,understanding how local parasite transmission is shaped by these highly connected visitors is critical for guiding disease prevention.However,this endeavor is largely hampered by the difficulties of observing transmission processes,especially in natural host-parasite systems.Regarding that,network analysis may provide additional insights to infer cross-species transmission and help identify the reservoir host species.Here,by using a bird-haemosporidian system in the Thousand Island Lake,China,we generated parasite-sharing networks to investigate how migratory hosts may influence sharing patterns and,in turn,the potential transmission in local bird communities.We evaluated the network centrality of migratory birds and assessed the relative importance of host functional traits and phylogenetic relatedness in structuring the propensity of parasite sharing.We found that migratory species significantly shaped the overall network structure by bridging distinct modules,though they exhibited no superior importance than resident birds when referring to node centrality.Moreover,we found that node centrality and the extent of parasite sharing of hosts are mainly predicted by host functional traits,while host phylogenetic relationships played a relatively minor role.Our findings highlight the vital role of migratory birds on parasite sharing in local communities and suggest that host functional traits could be key drivers of potential cross-species transmission.
基金supported by a grant from NIH(R01AI132695)to RM。
摘要Chronic wasting disease—a prion disease affecting cervids:Many neurological conditions,including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases,amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,frontotemporal dementias,among others,are caused by the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain.These diseases affect not only humans,but also animals.
基金funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101022802(HELICITY,to MD).
摘要Urbanization is a complex and multivariate environmental change,leading to habitat fragmentation and loss,changes in local climate,soil imperviousness,pollution,etc.This is likely to exert pressures simultaneously on various dimensions of organisms’multivariate phenotypes,leading to trait shifts with potential ecological consequences.However,responses to urbanization are often studied one(type of)trait at a time.In this context,we studied how,in the brown garden snail Cornu aspersum,shell phenotype(shell size and coloreflectance),behavior(food intake,mobility),and metazoan parasite prevalence respond to urbanization.Within an urbanization gradient spanning the French city of Rennes,we found that snails from more urbanized sites closer to the urban center were smaller,whereas urbanization had no detectable effect on shell reflectance,parasite prevalence,or behavior.Larger snails and snails with paler shells were more likely to be infected by trematode metacercariae and sexually transmitted nematodes(Nemhelix bakeri),respectively.Snails harboring trematode sporocysts ate typically less,while those infected by N.bakeri moved more slowly.We discuss the decrease of snail size along the urbanization gradient in relation to the Urban Heat Island effect and the potential decrease of resource quality and availability in urban sites.The absence of detectable effects of urbanization on shell reflectance,mobility,and parasite prevalence may be due to scale mismatches between how urbanization is measured and how snails experience microhabitats.We propose further experimental and field studies to decipher interactions between urbanization effects,shell phenotype,life-history traits,and parasitism.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32171498 and 32171495)the Finance Science and Technology Project of Hainan Province (ZDYF2018219)the Hainan Key Program of Science and Technology (ZDXM20110008)。
摘要Parasites,such as flatworms,nematodes,and pentastomes,are commonly found inhabiting reptiles.In this study,we examined parasite infection status in 10 squamate species,including 5 snake species and 5 lizard species.We identified one genuslevel and nine species-level parasites in these hosts,which belong to the phyla Platyhelminthes,Nemathelminthes,and Arthropoda.The overall infection rate was 45%,with significant differences in infection rates between lizard and snake species.Parasites in snakes included the Kalicephalus sp.,Ophidascaris filaria,Ophiotaenia bungari,Raillietiella orientalis and Spirometra erinaceieuropaei,and parasitic parasites in lizards were mainly composed of Meteterakis japonica,Plagiorchis koreanus,Spauligodon carbonelli,Spauligodon saxicolae and Strongyluris calotis,respectively.There were significant differences in infection rates among different species and regions,and even among different tissues of the same species.The overall investigation of squamate parasites in China will provide some basic information for public health safety.
摘要Gastrointestinal(GI)parasites are a global concern and cause serious damage to the health of animals,including horses,because of their deleterious effects on the health of these animals.Owing to improperly diagnosing the parasitic load and the resulting incorrect treatment,anthelmintics are becoming a global problem.Although rapid diagnostic techniques such as McMaster and FECPAKG2 are available in Africa,concentration techniques,including flotation and sedimentation,are commonly used in screening for gastrointestinal parasites.In this study,we compared the sensitivity of diagnostic techniques,namely,McMaster and FECPAKG2,in quantifying and determining the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites as an alternative to the commonly used flotation and sedimentation techniques for equine fecal samples in Jos,Plateau State,Nigeria.Three hundred fecal samples were collected from different locations.The instructions provided by the manufacturers of FECPAKG2 and McMasters were used as the methodology for egg count per gram of fecal matter,while parasite egg/ova identification was performed through sedimentation and flotation techniques.In general,a prevalence of 66.3%was recorded,with a higher prevalence on Babale ranch(84%)than on Jos Polo Club(62%)and Jos mounted troop(53%).A total of nine gastrointestinal parasites were identified via both sedimentation and flotation techniques:Strongylus spp.(19.3%)was the most prevalent parasite identified via the flotation method,whereas Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus(25.3%)was the most prevalent parasite identified via the sedimentation technique.In general,FECPAKG2 had a sensitivity of 86%,whereas McMaster had a sensitivity of 64%in terms of egg counts per gram of fecal sample.This finding suggests that equines in Jos are highly infected with a variety of gastrointestinal parasites to varying degrees,with Strongylus spp.and Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus being more prevalent.Although the parasite load was found to range from low to moderate levels,the majority of the equine samples contained<200 eggs per gram,suggesting a low infection rate via both the McMaster technique and the FECPAKG2 technique.On the basis of these findings,FECPAKG2 is recommended for rapid diagnosis because of its prompt outcome and infestation rate as well as ease of routine examination.Additionally,routine examination should be carried out to determine infestation by gastrointestinal parasites in all equine holdings and the effectiveness of the therapeutic agents used.
基金Center of Research and Development for Biomedical and Basic Health Technology of The National Institute of Research and Development,the Ministry of Health(Reference No HK.02.04/II/4579/2015).
摘要Objective:To ascertain the prevalence and distribution of malaria parasites among the three monkeys species from three provinces in Sumatra Island,Indonesia.Methods:Infections with Plasmodium spp.were determined morphologically from the blood smears which were stained with Giemsa solution and molecularly through nested polymerase chain reaction(PCR)in DNA samples from 68 primates,which were captured at three locations:Jambi(Bungo district),Bengkulu(Muko-Muko district),and Riau Islands(Lingga district).Results:Out of 68 samples analyzed,46 were positive for various Plasmodium species,including Plasmodium knowlesi,Plasmodium cynamolgi,Plasmodium inui,and Plasmodium coatneyi.Over one-third of the population exhibited multiple infections,with Plasmodium inui being the most predominant strain.Conclusions:The high prevalence of multiple malaria infections in monkeys,coupled with the rising reports of primate malaria cases in human raises questions about the potential for human transmission.These findings emphasize the necessity for ongoing monitoring and endeavors to comprehend and alleviate the risk of zoonotic malaria transmission,particularly in areas experiencing environmental changes.
摘要Parasites have coexisted with humans throughout history,forming either symbiotic relationships or causing significant morbidity and mortality.The liver is particularly vulnerable to parasitic infections,which can reside in,pass through,or be transported to the liver,leading to severe damage.This editorial explores various parasites that infect the liver,their clinical implications,and diagnostic considerations,as discussed in the article“Parasites of the liver:A global problem?”.Parasites reach the liver primarily through oral ingestion,mucosal penetration,or the bloodstream,with some larvae even penetrating the skin.Hepatic parasites such as cestodes(Echinococcus),trematodes(Clonorchis,Opisthorchis),nematodes(Ascaris),and protozoa(Entamoeba histolytica)can also cause systemic infections like visceral leishmaniasis,malaria,cryptosporidiosis,and toxoplasmosis.Chronic infections like clonorchiasis and opisthorchiasis are linked to persistent hepatobiliary inflammation,potentially progressing to cholangiocarcinoma,a fatal bile duct cancer,particularly prevalent in Southeast Asia.The global nature of liver parasite infestations is alarming,with hundreds of millions affected worldwide.However,control over treatment quality remains suboptimal.Given the significant public health threat posed by these parasites,international medical organizations must prioritize improved diagnosis,treatment,and preventive measures.Strengthening educational efforts and enhancing healthcare provider training are critical steps toward mitigating the global impact of parasitic liver diseases.
基金Qilu Medical University School-Level Teaching Reform Research Project(Project No.:XJJY2419)。
摘要In this modern era,with the rise of“Internet+education”,colleges and universities have actively responded by using information technology to improve teaching models,introducing platforms such as Chaoxing Learning Pass,Rain Classroom,and MOOCs to carry out online teaching.A new online teaching model for the“Parasite Inspection”course from the perspective of digital education has been initially explored,which has improved the teaching quality of the course.Based on this,this paper will outline the“Parasite Inspection”course from the perspective of digital education and its current teaching situation,and discuss the promotion strategies for the online teaching reform of the“Parasite Inspection”course under the perspective of digital education.
摘要Researchers from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology(IGDB)of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,with collaborators,identified two sorghum genes(SbSLT1 and SbSLT2)that block Striga-a parasitic plant,also known as“witchweed,”that causes$1.5 billion annual losses in Africa by draining crop nutrients.Published in Cell(February 12,2025),the study shows that these genes regulate strigolactones(SLs).
摘要The brood-parasitic brown-headed cowbird(Molothrus ater)has one of the shortest incubation periods of any bird.Brown-headed cowbird eggs,and those of other avian brood parasites,tend to be more spherical due to their greater relative width.The traditional explanation for this egg shape is that it,combined with the thicker eggshells,resists host puncture-ejection.However,very few North American hosts of the brownheaded cowbird actually engage in puncture-ejection and therefore wider eggs may instead provide greater contact with a host’s brood patch during incubation,especially in large host nests.We tested whether greater egg width increased mean temperature and reduced temperature variation in brown-headed cowbirds by inserting temperature probes into brown-headed cowbird and house sparrow(Passer domesticus)eggs and placing them into red-winged blackbird(Agelaius phoeniceus)nests.House sparrow eggs are similar in appearance and in length to cowbird eggs,but are not as wide.We found no signifcant relationship between brown-headed cowbird egg width and mean incubation temperature.However,brown-headed cowbird eggs experienced less temperature variation than house sparrow eggs,and within brown-headed cowbird eggs,more spherical eggs experienced less temperature variation when accounting for differences in width.These results suggest that brownheaded cowbirds may have short incubation periods in part because their eggs exhibit less temperature variation over the course of incubation.The brown-headed cowbird’s egg shape may contribute to its accelerated embryonic development rate relative to host eggs of similar size,which explains its ability to hatch in a variety of host nests.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31172117)the Graduate Student Innovation Research Projects of Anhui University (YQH100611)
摘要Background: Parasites have adverse effects on the life and survival of many migratory waterbirds, especially birds on the endangered species list. Hooded Cranes are large migratory colonial waterbirds wintering in wetlands,which are prone to parasite infection, thus monitoring the diversity of parasites is important for sound wetland management and protection of this species.Methods: From November 2012 to April 2013, we collected 821 fresh faecal samples from the three lakes(Poyang,Caizi and Shengjin Lake) in the lower and middle Yangtze River floodplain, and detected with saturated brine floating and centrifugal sedimentation methods. Parasite eggs were quantified with a modified Mc Master's counting method.Results: In this study, 11 species of parasites were discovered, i.e., two coccidium(Eimeria gruis, E. reichenowi), five nematodes(Capillaria sp., Strongyloides sp., Ascaridia sp., Trichostrongylus sp., Ancylostomatidae), three trematodes(Echinostoma sp., Echinochasmus sp., Fasciolopsis sp.) and one cestode(Hymenolepis sp.). About 57.7% of the faecal samples showed parasitic infection. All species of parasites were found at the three sites except Hymenolepis which was not found at Poyang Lake. While most samples were affected by only one or two species of parasites, infection by Eimeria spp. was the most common(53.1%). From One-Way ANOVA analysis of the three lakes, parasite species richness index(p = 0.656), diversity index(p = 0.598) and evenness index(p = 0.612) showed no significant difference. According to the statistical analysis of our data, there were no significant difference in parasite species richness index(p = 0.678) and evenness index(p = 0.238) between wintering periods, but a strong difference in diversity index(p < 0.05).Conclusions: Our study suggests that in the wintering Hooded Crane populations, parasite diversity is more sensitive to changes in the overwintering periods than to locations. This also indicates that with the limitations of migration distance, the parasites may not form the differentiation in Hooded Crane populations of the three lakes.
基金supported by the Project No. 191986,Fronteras de la Ciencia–CONACyTthe Programa de Apoyo a Proyectos de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica (PAPIIT),UNAM No.IN212419
摘要Astyanax mexicanus has repeatedly colonized cave environments,displaying evolutionary parallelisms in many troglobitic traits.Despite being a model system for the study of adaptation to life in perpetual darkness,the parasites that infect cavefish are practically unknown.In this study,we investigated the macroparasite communities in 18 cavefish populations from independent lineages and compared them with the parasite diversity found in their sister surface fish populations,with the aim of better understanding the role that parasites play in the colonization of new environments.Within the cavefish populations,we identified 13 parasite taxa,including a subset of 10 of the 27 parasite taxa known for the surface populations.Parasites infecting the cavefish belong to five taxonomic groups,including trematodes,monogeneans,nematodes,copepods,and acari.Monogeneans are the most dominant group,found in 14 caves.The macroparasites include species with direct life cycles and trophic transmission,including invasive species.Surprisingly,paired comparisons indicate higher parasite richness in the cavefish than in the surface fish.Spatial variation in parasite composition across the caves suggests historical and geographical contingencies in the host-parasite colonization process and potential evolution of local adaptations.This base-line data on parasite diversity in cavefish populations of A.mexicanus provides a foundation to explore the role of divergent parasite infections under contrasting ecological pressures(cave vs.surface environments)in the evolution of cave adaptive traits.
基金financially supported by Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine,Faculty of Tropical Medicine,Mahidol University,Thailand(grant No.CTM-2553-01)
摘要Objective:To determine the frequency of malaria parasite detection from the buffy coal blood films by using capillary tube in falciparum malaria patients with negative conventional thick films.Methods:Thirty six uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients confirmed by conventional thick and thin films were included in the study.The patients were treated with artemisinin combination therapy at Hospital for Tropical Diseases,Bangkok,Thailand for 28 day.Fingerpricks for conventional blood films were conducted every 6 hours until negative parasitemia,then daily fingerpricks for parasite checks were conducted until the patients were discharged from hospital. Blood samples were also concurrently collected in 3 heparinized capillary tubes at the same time of fingerpricks for conventional blood films when the prior parasitemia was negative on thin films and parasitemia was lower than 50 parasites/200 white blood cells by thick film.The first negative conventional thick films were compared with buffy coat thick films for parasite identification. Results:Out of 36 patients with thick films showing negative for asexual forms of parasites, buffy coat films could detect remaining 10 patients(27.8%) with asexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum.Conclusions:The study shows that buffy coat thick films are useful and can detect malarial parasites in 27.8%of patients whose conventional thick films show negative parasitemia.
摘要Objective:To determine the magnitude of opportunistic and non-opportunistic intestinal parasitic infections among HTV/AIDS patients in Bahir Dar.Methods:Cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV/ AIDS patients attending Gambi higher clinic from Aprill- May 30,2009. Convenient sampling technique was employed to identify the study subjects and hence a total of 248 subjects were included.A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data of patients.Stool samples were examined by direct saline,iodine wet mount, formol-ether sedimentation concentration and modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique. Results:Out of 248 enrolled in the study,171(69.0%)(90 males and 81 females) were infected with one or more intestinal parasites.The highest rate of intestinal parasites were observed among HIV/AIDS patients(80.3%,151/188),and the infection rate of HIV negative individuals was 33.3%(20/60).Cryptosporidum parvum(43.6%),Isospora belli(15.5%) and Blastocystis hominis (10.5%) were opportunistic parasites that were found only in HIV/AIDS patients.Conclusions: Opportunistic parasite infections are common health problem among HIV/ AIDS patients in the study area.Therefore,early detection and treatment of these parasites are important to improve the quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients.
基金partly supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(8147162081671627+7 种基金815716068160180881172876U0832601)the National Basic Research Program of China(2012CBA01305)the 13th Five-Year Key Scientific and Technological Program of China(2017ZX10304402-002-0042017ZX10202102-001-005)the National Key Research & Development(R&D)Plan(2016YFC1201000)
摘要Parasites can increase infection rates and pathogenicity in immunocompromised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients. However, in vitro studies and epidemiological investigations also suggest that parasites might escape immunocompromised hosts during HIV infection Due to the lack of direct evidence from animal experiments, the effects of immunocompromised hosts parasitic infections on remain unclear. Here we detected 14 different parasites in six northern pig-tailed macaques (NPMs) before or at the 50th week of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection by ELISA. The NPMs all carried parasites before viral injection. At the 50th week after viral injection, the individuals with negative results in parasitic detection (i.e., 08247 and 08287) were characterized as the Parasites Exit (PE) group, with the other individuals (i.e., 09203, 09211, 10205, and 10225) characterized as the Parasites Remain (PR) group. Compared with the PR group, the NPMs in the PE group showed higher viral loads, lower CD4+ T cells counts, and lower CD4/CD8 rates. Additionally, the PE group had higher immune activation and immune exhaustion of both CD4~ and CD8~ T cells. Pathological observation showed greater injury to the liver, cecum, colon, spleen, and mesenteric lymph nodes in the PE group This study showed more seriously compromised immunity in the PE group, strongly indicating that parasites might exit an immunocompromised host.
基金support was provided by Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad(projects CGL2012-40026-C02-01and CGL2015-67789-C2-1-P(MINECO/FEDER)to SM,and CGL2012-40026-C02-02to JM,and grant numbersBES-2010-038427and EEBB-1-14-08326toRM-P)Ministerio de EducaciÃón funded SR with FPU grant numberAP-2009-1325 and EST13/00196.Permits for carrying out this investigation and collecting lizards were provided by the UCSCethics committee(IACUC)CDFG to RDC.Research at the UCSC was supported by an NSF grant to BS(EF-1241848).
摘要Parasites generally have a negative influence on the color expression of their hosts.Sexual selection theory predicts resistant high-quality individuals should show intense coloration,whereas susceptible low-quality individuals would show poor coloration.However,intensely colored males of different species of Oid and New World lizards were more often infected by hemoparasites.These results suggest that high-quality males,with intense coloration,would suffer higher susceptibility to hemoparasites.This hypothesis remains poorly understood and contradicts general theories on sexual selection.We surveyed a population of Sceloporus occidentalis for parasites and found infections by the parasite genera Lankesterella and Acroeimeria.In this population,both males and females express ventral blue and yellow color patches.Lankesterella was almost exclusively infecting males.The body size of the males significantly predicted the coloration of both blue and yellow patches.Larger males showed darker(lower lightness)blue ventral patches and more saturated yellow patches that were also orange-skewed.Moreover,these males were more often infected by Lankesterella than smaller males.The intestinal parasite Acroeimeria infected both males and females.The infection by intestinal parasites of the genus Acroeimeria was the best predictor for the chroma in the blue patch of the males and for hue in the yellow patch of the females.Those males infected by Acroeimeria expressed blue patches with significantly lower chroma than the uninfected males.However,the hue of the yellow patch was not significantly different between infected and uninfected females.These results suggest a different effect of Lankesterella and Acroeimeria on the lizards.On the one hand,the intense coloration of male lizards infected by Lankesterella suggested high-quality male lizards may tolerate it.On the other hand,the low chroma of the blue coloration of the infected males suggested that this coloration could honestly express the infection by Acroeimeria.
基金This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness research projects[grant CGL2015-64650P]Junta de Extremadura[grant IB16121]S.M.and A.M.were supported by a Ph.D.grant from the Ministry of Economy and Competition of Spain and a mobility grant of Junta de Extremadura(129/2015),respectively.L.G.-L.was supported by the Junta de Extremadura[PO17024,Post-Doc grant].
摘要Parasites are globally widespread pathogenic organisms,which impose im portant selective forces upon their hosts.Thus,in accordance with the A djustm ent to parasite pressure hypothesis,it is expected that defenses among hosts vary relative to the selective pressure imposed by parasites.According to the latitudinal gradient in diversity,species richness and abundance of parasites peak near the equator.The uropygial gland is an im portant defensive exocrine gland against pathogens in birds.Size of the uropygial gland has been proposed to vary among species of birds because of divergent selection by pathogens on their hosts.Therefore,we should expect that bird species from the tropics should have relatively larger uropygial glands for their body size than species from higher latitudes.However,this hypothesis has not yet been explored.Here,we analyze the size of the uropygial gland of 1719 individual birds belonging to 36 bird species from 3 Neotropical(Peru)and 3 temperate areas(Spain).Relative uropygial gland volum e was 12.52%larger in bird species from the tropics than from temperate areas.This finding is consistent w ith the relative size of this defensive organ being driven by selective pressures imposed by parasites.We also explored the potential role of this gland as a means of avoiding haemosporidian infection,showing that species with large uropygial glands for their body size tend to have lower mean prevalence of haemosporidian infection,regardless o f their geographical origin.This result provides additional support for the assum ption that secretions from the uropygial gland reduce the likelihood of becoming infected with haemosporidians.
基金China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project under contract No. 20080441151Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Project under contract No. 09-1-3-13-jch+1 种基金Award Program for Outstanding Young Researchers of Shandong Province under contract No. BS2009NY018supported by Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology,Institute of Oceanology,Chinese Academy of Sciences
摘要Considering that the field is largely unexplored and its importance to aquaculture,outline of oomycetes and fungi parasiting on marine algae was provided in this paper,including 15 species of oomycetes,six species of chytrids,31 Ascomycota species and one species of mitosporic fungi.In natrue,both the oomycetes and chytrids frequently occurred and induced prevalences of disease which could destroy the populations of host plants greatly.However,the parasites in Ascomycota on algae have never occurred as epidemics so far.Some issues relating to the field were discussed such as performing tests to satisfy Koch's postulates,investigations of host specificity,interactions between host and parasite and the potential effects of environmental factors on occurrence of a disease,which are urgent in need of further investigations.
摘要Brood parasites such as the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus exploit the parental abilities of their hosts,hosts avoid brood parasitism and predation by showing specific behavior such as loss of feathers,emission of fear screams and contact calls,displaying wriggle behavior to avoid hosts or potential prey,pecking at hosts and prey,and expressing tonic immobility(showing behavior like feigning death or rapid escape from predators and brood parasites).These aspects of escape behavior are consistent for individuals but also among sites,seasons,and years.Escape behavior expressed in response to a broad range of cuckoo hosts and prey are consistently used against capture by humans,but also hosts and brood parasites and predators and their prey.An interspecific comparative phylogenetic analysis of escape behavior by hosts and their brood parasites and prey and their predators revealed evidence of consistent behavior when encountering potential parasites or predators.We hypothesize that personality axes such as those ranging from fearfulness to being bold,and from neophobic to curiosity response in brood parasites constitute important components of defense against brood parasitism that reduces the overall risk of parasitism.
摘要Objective:This study aims to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites infesting the vegetable foodstuffs and determine the parasitological profile of the vegetable foodstuffs examined.Methods:About 200 randomly sampled vegetable foodstuffs obtained from the vendors of the Balintawak and Divisoria public markets were examined for the occurrence of intestinal parasites.Results:A total of 119(59.5%) vegetable foodstuffs examined were tested positive.The most common parasite found was the Ascaris lumbricoides.No significant differences between the prevalence of intestinal parasites at the two public markets were found(P 】 0.05).Conclusion: The vegetables can be a potential source of parasitic infection.