Some parasites may modify the behavior of their
hosts. Altered behaviors may: 1) benefit the host in
that they defend against the pathogen, 2) benefit the
pathogen and represent manipulations of the host
response, and 3) benefit neither the host or the
pathogen and simply be a product of the...
Preliminary studies with a dog (Canis familiaris) and a coyote
(Canis latrans) showed that these carnivores can serve as definitive
hosts in the life cycle of Sarcocystis fusiformis of cattle (Bos
taurus) and a microscopic Sarcocystis of mule deer (Odocoileus
hemionus hemionus). Preliminary studies to determine effects of the
cervine...
The literature relating to fascioliasis in experimental hosts,
and the clawed jird (Meriones unguiculatus) as an experimental host
was reviewed.
Four experiments were conducted using experimental hosts for
Fasciola hepatica. The first two experiments were done using Swiss
mice, B. P. laboratory albino strain; the third and fourth experiments
involved...
Rapid rates of biodiversity loss have supported the notion that Earth is experiencing a sixth major extinction event. The causes of worldwide biodiversity loss are multifaceted and context dependent. One of the most prominent groups experiencing population declines and extinctions are amphibians. Several pathogens and their associated diseases are especially...
Introduced vector-borne diseases, particularly avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) and avian pox
virus (Avipoxvirus spp.), continue to play significant roles in the decline and extinction of native forest birds in
the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiian honeycreepers are particularly susceptible to avian malaria and have survived
into this century largely because of persistence...
Like other species interactions in ecological systems, host-pathogen interactions are influenced by environmental factors, landscape characteristics and the broader community context. My thesis explores the potential influences of food-web interactions (Chapter 2), climate change (Chapter 3), landscape structure and host movement patterns (Chapter 4), and the combined influences of local...
Camelid health and parasitology experts disagree on what a “safe” level of internal parasitism is in camelids. The objective was to determine the levels of parasitism in show camelids (llamas and alpacas). The hypothesis was that fecal egg counts (FEC) in camelid would differ based upon geographic location, species (llama...
Twenty yearling sheep were allotted to four groups, each containing
five sheep of approximately equal weight. On experimental
days 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4, each sheep in each group was given the following
inoculations by stomach tube: five sheep in group I (Fasciola
hepatica-exposed controls) were given approximately 120...
Translating research advances to natural systems using experimental laboratory studies is often difficult because of the variability between the natural environment and experimental conditions. Because environmental conditions have a large effect on an organism's physiology, responses to stressors like nutrient limitation, temperature, oxygen deprivation, predation, and parasite/pathogen infection are likely...
The freshwater trematode Nanophyetus salmincola has been demonstrated to impair salmonid immune function and resistance to the marine pathogen Vibrio anguillarum, potentially resulting in ocean mortality. We examined whether infection by the parasite N. salmincola similarly increases mortality of juvenile Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha when they are exposed to the...