Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026
03:46
A Simple Fecal Flotation Method for Diagnosing Zoonotic Nematodes Under Field and Laboratory Conditions
Published on: December 15, 2023
Arctic parasitology: why should we care?
Rebecca Davidson1, Manon Simard, Susan J Kutz
1Norwegian Veterinary Institute, PO box 750, 0106 Oslo, Norway.
Trends in Parasitology
|March 23, 2011
Summary
Parasitic infections impact Arctic wildlife and human health, posing risks through subsistence hunting. Climate change is altering parasite transmission, but Arctic ecosystems offer insights into these ecological shifts.
Area of Science:
- Parasitology
- Arctic ecology
- Climate change impacts
Background:
- Parasitic infections significantly affect human and animal health globally, with notable impacts in tropical regions.
- While tropical parasites are well-studied, the Arctic also harbors parasites of medical and veterinary importance.
- Arctic populations face exposure to foodborne parasites via subsistence hunting and insufficient food inspection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the presence and impact of medically and veterinarily important parasites in the Arctic.
- To discuss the vulnerability of Arctic ecosystems to parasitic invasions and altered transmission dynamics.
- To explore the implications of climate change on Arctic host-parasite ecology and its broader relevance.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on Arctic parasites and their transmission.
- Analysis of the ecological vulnerability of Arctic ecosystems.
- Assessment of climate change effects on parasite distribution and host interactions.
Main Results:
- Parasitic infections pose risks to Arctic human and wildlife health, affecting food security.
- Low ecological diversity in the Arctic increases vulnerability to parasitic invasions.
- Climate change is driving pathogen range expansion and host switching in the Arctic.
Conclusions:
- Arctic ecosystems are susceptible to parasitic infections, with significant implications for health and food security.
- Climate change is actively reshaping host-parasite dynamics in the Arctic.
- The Arctic serves as a crucial model for understanding climate-driven ecological shifts in host-parasite interactions globally.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Malaria
Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
01:28Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
01:22Microbial Interactions: Parasitism
Parasitism is a form of microbial interaction in which parasitic microbes exploit a host organism for nutrients and shelter, often at the host's expense. Unlike mutualistic relationships, where both organisms benefit, parasitism benefits only the parasite and harms the host.Classification of ParasitesMicrobial parasites are broadly classified based on their location relative to the host.Ectoparasites remain on the host’s surface, such as the skin or outer tissues, drawing nutrients...
01:27Overview of Protists
Protists are diverse eukaryotic microorganisms that lack the specialized tissues of plants and animals and the chitinous cell walls of fungi. Their early divergence within Eukarya resulted in structural, functional, and ecological diversity. They are classified into supergroups such as Archaeplastida, Excavata, Amoebozoa, Rhizaria, Alveolata, and Stramenopiles, determined through genetic analysis and structural similarities.Structural and Functional AdaptationsProtists have various adaptations...
01:28Amebiasis
Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...
01:27Diversity of Protists II
Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...