Effects of minimum Strigea robusta (Digenea: Strigeidae) cercariae doses and localization of cysts on the anomaly P manifestation in Pelophylax lessonae (Anura: Ranidae) tadpoles

Theme: Biology
Author: Ермаков Олег Александрович  (with the team of authors)
Annotation: The anomaly P is a mass morphological anomaly found in some populations of anuran amphibians (water frogs of the genus Pelophylax and toads of the genera Bufo and Bufotes) caused by the parasitic flatworm Strigea robusta. Minimum dose of cercariae for the appearance of the anomaly P remains unknown. However, it is important information for understanding of host population dynamics after invasion and the effects of the parasite on the second intermediate hosts. Herein, the invasion properties of S. robusta in Pelophylax lessonae tadpoles (Anura: Ranidae) and minimum dose for appearance of mild and severe forms of the anomaly P syndrome were described after direct experiments with certain numbers of cercariae exposure. Experimental groups of tadpoles have been exposed to eight doses of cercariae (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16). A total of 63.8% tadpoles survived to the end of this experiment. It was revealed that a mild form of the anomaly P (polydactyly) can appear after infection by two cercariae, while the severe form traits appear after infection by four cercariae. The mean number of detected encysted metacercariae was reached to 53.5%. Differences in infection rates can be explained by the presence of an individual immune response in tadpoles or by the presence of different genetic lineages of the parasite infecting the same snail, which have different infectious potential. Low doses of infection leading to the induction of anomalies characterize S. robusta as a highly pathogenic species for amphibian species that are susceptible to infection and show an abnormal phenotype.
Type: Article
Kind: Electronic copy
Parts: 1
The year of publishing: 2023
Publishing house: Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Publishing place: Parasitology Research
The target audience: Researcher
Special purpose: Scientific
Copyright holder: Springer Link
ISSN: 1432-1955, 0932-0113
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-022-07778-z
SJR: 0,60
Bibliographic reference: Svinin A., Bashinskiy I., Ermakov O., Litvinchuk S., 2023. Effects of minimum Strigea robusta (Digenea: Strigeidae) cercariae doses and localization of cysts on the anomaly P manifestation in Pelophylax lessonae (Anura: Ranidae) tadpoles // Parasitology Research. Vol. 122. P. 889–894.
Url: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-022-07778-z
Language: English
Post date:23.10.2023