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Parasites in space and time: a novel method to assess and illustrate host-searching behaviour of trematode cercariae

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2018

Christian Selbach  and
Robert Poulin
Christian Selbach*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
Robert Poulin
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
*
Author for correspondence: Christian Selbach, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The transmission from one host to another constitutes a challenging obstacle for parasites and is a key determinant of their fitness. Due to their complex life histories involving several different hosts, the free-living dispersal stages (cercariae) of digenean trematodes show a huge diversity in morphology and behaviour. On a finer scale, we still have an extremely limited understanding of the inter- and intraspecific variation in transmission strategies of many trematode species. Here, we present a novel method to study the movement patterns of cercariae of four New Zealand trematode species (Coitocaecum parvum, Maritrema poulini, Apatemon sp. and Aporocotylid sp. I.) via automated video tracking. This approach allows to quantify parameters otherwise not measurable and clearly illustrates the individual strategies of parasites to search for their respective target hosts. Cercariae that seek out an evasive fish target hosts showed higher swimming speeds (acceleration and velocity) and travelled further distances, compared with species searching for high-density crustacean hosts. Automated video tracking provides a powerful tool for such detailed analyses of parasites’ host-searching strategies and can enhance our understanding of complex host–parasite interactions, ranging from parasite community structure to the transmission of potential disease agents.

Keywords

Behaviourcercariaehost-searchingmovement trackingNew Zealandparasite transmissiontrematode
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 145 , Issue 11 , September 2018 , pp. 1469 - 1474
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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