Abstract
BackgroundDigenean trematodes are parasitic platyhelminths that use several hosts in their life cycles and are thereby embedded in various ecosystems affected by local environmental conditions. Their presence in a habitat will reflect the presence of different host species and, as such, they can serve as ecological indicators. Only limited information on the occurrence of trematodes and their link to other trophic levels in the Danish freshwater ecosystems is currently available.Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to increase our knowledge in this field.MethodsSnails were sampled from 21 freshwater lakes in Denmark, following which shedding procedures were performed, cercariae were recoved and the released parasites were identified using molecular tools (PCR and sequencing).ResultsA total of 5657 snail hosts belonging to ten species were identified, revealing a highly diverse parasite fauna comprising 22 trematode species. The overall trematode prevalence was 12.6%, but large variations occurred between host species. The snail host Lymnaea stagnalis showed the highest prevalence and also exhibited the highest diversity, accounting for 47.6% of the species richness.ConclusionsThis survey contributes updated information on parasite–host relations and compatibility and may assist in describing the ecological structure of the investigated Danish freshwater ecosystems.Graphical
Highlights
Digenean trematodes are parasitic platyhelminths that use several hosts in their life cycles and are thereby embedded in various ecosystems affected by local environmental conditions
Sixteen lakes were positive with regard to trematode infection, whereas the remaining five locations were negative for parasites
Prevalence of infection at different locations We examined a total of 5657 individual freshwater snails belonging to three families and ten different species: Lymnaeidae (Lymnaea stagnalis, Radix balthica, Radix auricularia, Stagnicola palustris and Omphiscola glabra); Planorbidae (Planorbarius corneus, Planorbis planorbis and Anisus vortex); and Bithyniidae (Bithynia leachii and Bithynia tentaculata)
Summary
Digenean trematodes are parasitic platyhelminths that use several hosts in their life cycles and are thereby embedded in various ecosystems affected by local environmental conditions Their presence in a habitat will reflect the presence of different host species and, as such, they can serve as ecological indicators. Trematodes, dominated by the digeneans, comprise a group of abundant and ubiquitous parasitic metazoans with high diversity and more than 18,000 nominal species [1] These metazoans utilize multi-host systems to complete their complex life cycles, often with a mollusc as the first intermediate host [2,3,4]. Diagnosis can be done by performing BLAST analysis against welldescribed species in GenBank
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