Explore the vast range of titles available.

Fleas are one of the most interesting and fascinating taxa of ectoparasites. All species in this relatively small order are obligatory haematophagous (blood-feeding) parasites of higher vertebrates. This book examines how functional, ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes of host-parasite relationships are realized in this particular system. As such it provides an in-depth case study of a host-parasite system, demonstrating how fleas can be used as a model taxon for testing ecological and evolutionary hypotheses. The book moves from basic descriptive aspects, to functional issues and finally to evolutionary explanations. It extracts several general principles that apply equally well to other host-parasite systems, so it appeals not only to flea biologists but also to 'mainstream' parasitologists and ecologists.

For most, the mere mention of lice forces an immediate hand to the head and recollection of childhood experiences with nits, medicated shampoos, and traumatic haircuts. But for a certain breed of biologist, lice make for fascinating scientific fodder, especially enlightening in the study of coevolution. In this book, three leading experts on host-parasite relationships demonstrate how the stunning coevolution that occurs between such species in microevolutionary, or ecological, time generates clear footprints in macroevolutionary, or historical, time. By integrating these scales, Coevolution of Life on Hosts offers a comprehensive understanding of the influence of coevolution on the diversity of all life. Following an introduction to coevolutionary concepts, the authors combine experimental and comparative host-parasite approaches for testing coevolutionary hypotheses to explore the influence of ecological interactions and coadaptation on patterns of diversification and codiversification among interacting species. Ectoparasites—a diverse assemblage of organisms that ranges from herbivorous insects on plants, to monogenean flatworms on fish, and feather lice on birds—are powerful models for the study of coevolution because they are easy to observe, mark, and count. As lice on birds and mammals are permanent parasites that spend their entire lifecycles on the bodies of their hosts, they are ideally suited to generating a synthetic overview of coevolution—and, thereby, offer an exciting framework for integrating the concepts of coadaptation and codiversification.

This article summarises the current knowledge of the rabbit coccidia and the disease they cause. Various aspects, such as life cycles, localisation in the host, pathology and pathogenicity, immunity and control, are discussed.

One thousand three hundred seventy three fish specimens of eight different species from the vicinity of Kyiv, Ukraine, were examined for the presence of trypanosomes and 921 individuals were found to be infected. The prevalence of infection ranged from 24% in freshwater bream, Abramis brama, to 100 % in spined loach, Cobitis taenia. The level of parasitaemia also varied significantly between generally mild infections in pikeperch, Sander lucioperca, and heavy ones in C. taenia. In most cases the infections with trypanosomes were asymptomatic. Cases of co-infection with species of Trypanoplasma were documented for five out of eight examined host species. Molecular analysis of the 18S rDNA sequences revealed that four hosts, namely northern pike, Esox lucius, freshwater bream, spined loach and European perch, Perca fluviatilis, were simultaneously infected with two different trypanosome species. Our findings advocate the view that to avoid the risk posed by mixed infections, subsequent molecular taxonomic studies should be performed on clonal lines derived from laboratory cultures of fish trypanosomes.

Interactions between competitors, predators and their prey have traditionally been viewed as the foundation of community structure. Parasites – long ignored in community ecology – are now recognized as playing an important part in influencing species interactions and consequently affecting ecosystem function. Parasitism can interact with other ecological drivers, resulting in both detrimental and beneficial effects on biodiversity and ecosystem health. Species interactions involving parasites are also key to understanding many biological invasions and emerging infectious diseases. This book bridges the gap between community ecology and epidemiology to create a wide-ranging examination of how parasites and pathogens affect all aspects of ecological communities, enabling the new generation of ecologists to include parasites as a key consideration in their studies. This comprehensive guide to a newly emerging field is of relevance to academics, practitioners and graduates in biodiversity, conservation and population management, and animal and human health.

Based on molecular markers (COII and ITS1-ITS2) and morphological data, we describe three new Neotropical species of Gyrodactylus from Scleromystax barbatus and Scleromystax macropterus from southern Brazil. The three new species can be distinguished from each other by sequences of both molecular markers and morphology of hooks and anchors. Gyrodactylus bueni sp. n. is characterised by having hook with shaft curved, heel straight, shelf straight, toe pointed, anchor with superficial root slender, elongate and male copulatory organ armed with two rows of spinelets. Gyrodactylus major sp. n. presents hook with shaft, point curved, proximal shaft straight, heel convex, shelf convex, toe concave, anchor with superficial root robust and male copulatory organ armed with two rows of spinelets. Gyrodactylus scleromystaci sp. n. presents hook with shaft, point recurved, heel convex, shelf convex, toe pointed, anchor with superficial root curved and male copulatory organ armed with two rows of spinelets. These species appear to be closely related to other species of Gyrodactylus known from other species of Callichthyidae. These new species, however, differ by the comparative morphology of the haptoral hard structures and molecular data. Comparative analysis of sequences from these species of Gyrodactylus suggests that the COII gene may represent an important marker for the taxonomy of species of Gyrodactylidae and, perhaps, for species of other lineages of Monogenoidea.

During a survey on the myxosporean fauna of gibel carp Carassius auratus gibelio in China, a species of Myxobolus, that did not conform to any known species was found. The species is characterised by the presence of round to ellipsoidal plasmodia of 2.6-4.0 mm in diameter in the palate of host. Mature spores are obovate in frontal view and lemon-shaped in lateral view, with the following range, mean and standard deviation of dimensions: 10.8-12.8 µm (11.7 +/- 0.4 microm) long, 8.2-9.9 microm (8.9 +/- 0.4 µm) wide and 6.0-7.5 microm (6.8 +/- 0.3 µm) thick. Two polar capsules are pyriform, 4.0-5.5 microm (4.8 +/- 0.3 microm) long by 2.9-3.6 microm (3.0 +/- 0.2 microm) wide. Polar filaments are coiled, with 5 to 6 turns. A small proportion of spores possesses a short caudal process. Scanning electron microscopy revealed discoid spores with a low sutural ridge and middle bulge. The small subunit ribosomal DNA sequence of this species did not match any available sequences in GenBank. Phylogenetically, this species is sister to M. nielii and M. hearti in a Henneguya-Myxobolus clade with robust support. Given the morphological and molecular differences between this species and other Myxobolus species, we propose the name Myxobolus oralis sp. n. for this parasite from gibel carp.

Parasites that are transmitted from prey to predator are often associated with altered prey behavior. Although many concur that behavior modification is a parasite strategy that facilitates transmission by making parasitized prey easier for predators to capture, there is little evidence from field experiments. We observed that conspicuous behaviors exhibited by killfish (Fundulus parvipinnis) were associated with parasitism by larval trematodes. A field experiment indicated that parasitized fish were substantially more susceptible to predation by final host birds. These results support the behavior-modification hypothesis and emphasize the importance of parasites for predator-prey interactions.