Molecular data suggest that microsporidian parasites in freshwater snails are diverse
Microsporidian parasites infect almost all invertebrate and vertebrate hosts and have significant effects on individual and population fitness. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that the phylum is highly divergent and that some lineages show strong associations with host taxa. We here examine the d...
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Veröffentlicht in: | International journal for parasitology 2005-09, Vol.35 (10), p.1071-1078 |
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Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | Microsporidian parasites infect almost all invertebrate and vertebrate hosts and have significant effects on individual and population fitness. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that the phylum is highly divergent and that some lineages show strong associations with host taxa. We here examine the diversity and distribution of parasites in gastropod molluscs to test for host-parasite co-association. 16 populations representing 10 species of freshwater snails were screened using microsporidian specific small subunit rDNA primers. Four novel microsporidian parasite sequences were detected within populations of three host species from the genera
Bulinus,
Biomphalaria and
Planorbis. Prevalence ranged from 5 to 84%. Phylogenetic analysis of these novel sequences reveals that they group together as a paraphyletic assemblage in the microsporidian tree basal to the two lineages containing the genera
Encephalitozoon and
Nosema. Preliminary observation of one microsporidian infection, show parasites distributed in all tissue systems of
Bulinus globosus. However, infection is most prevalent in the digestive gland while also in the egg sacs, suggesting that the microsporidium is using a mixed strategy of horizontal and vertical transmission in this population. |
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ISSN: | 0020-7519 1879-0135 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.ijpara.2005.05.008 |