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Mass Isolation and In Vitro Cultivation of Intramolluscan Stages of the Human Blood Fluke Schistosoma Mansoni
Published on: January 14, 2018
Effects of intermediate host genetic background on parasite transmission dynamics: a case study using Schistosoma
Monika Zavodna1, Gregory J Sandland, Dennis J Minchella
1Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA. z_monika@hotmail.com
Abstract:
For parasites that require multiple hosts to complete their development, genetic interplay with one host may impact parasite transmission and establishment in subsequent hosts. In this study, we used microsatellite loci to address whether the genetic background of snail intermediate hosts influences life-history traits and transmission patterns of dioecious trematode parasites in their definitive hosts. We performed experimental Schistosoma mansoni infections utilizing two allopatric populations of Biomphalaria glabrata snails and assessed intensities and sex ratios of adult parasites in mouse definitive hosts. Our results suggest that the genetic background of hosts at one point in a parasite's life cycle can influence the intensities and sex ratios of worms in subsequent hosts.
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