Mixed strongyle parasite infections vary across host age and space in a population of feral horses
Identifying factors that drive among-individual variation in mixed parasitic infections is fundamental to understanding the ecology and evolution of host–parasite interactions. However, a lack of non-invasive diagnostic tools to quantify mixed infections has restricted their investigation for host p...
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Cambridge University Press
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| Series: | Parasitology |
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| author | Sangwook Ahn Elizabeth M. Redman Stefan Gavriliuc Jennifer Bellaw John S. Gilleard Philip D. McLoughlin Jocelyn Poissant |
| author_facet | Sangwook Ahn Elizabeth M. Redman Stefan Gavriliuc Jennifer Bellaw John S. Gilleard Philip D. McLoughlin Jocelyn Poissant |
| author_sort | Sangwook Ahn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Identifying factors that drive among-individual variation in mixed parasitic infections is fundamental to understanding the ecology and evolution of host–parasite interactions. However, a lack of non-invasive diagnostic tools to quantify mixed infections has restricted their investigation for host populations in the wild. This study applied DNA metabarcoding on parasite larvae cultured from faecal samples to characterize mixed strongyle infections of 320 feral horses on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 2014 to test for the influence of host (age, sex and reproductive/social status) and environmental (location, local density and social group membership) factors on variation. Twenty-five strongyle species were identified, with individual infections ranging from 3 to 18 species with a mean richness (±1 s.d.) of 10.8 ± 3.1. Strongyle eggs shed in faeces were dominated by small strongyle (cyathostomins) species in young individuals, transitioning to large strongyles (Strongylus spp.) in adults. Egg counts were highest in young individuals and in the west or centre of the island for most species. Individuals in the same social group had similar parasite communities, supporting the hypothesis that shared environment may drive parasite assemblages. Other factors such as local horse density, sex, date and reproductive/social status had minimal impacts on infection patterns. This study demonstrates that mixed infections can be dynamic across host ontogeny and space and emphasizes the need to consider species-specific infection patterns when investigating mixed infections. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b7c6bae2f4b84e1ebacc52b5d6514628 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0031-1820 1469-8161 |
| language | English |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Parasitology |
| spelling | doaj-art-b7c6bae2f4b84e1ebacc52b5d65146282025-08-20T01:59:05ZengCambridge University PressParasitology0031-18201469-816111810.1017/S0031182024001185Mixed strongyle parasite infections vary across host age and space in a population of feral horsesSangwook Ahn0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0161-1183Elizabeth M. Redman1Stefan Gavriliuc2Jennifer Bellaw3John S. Gilleard4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6787-4699Philip D. McLoughlin5Jocelyn Poissant6Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, CanadaFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, CanadaFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, CanadaM.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USAFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, CanadaFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, CanadaIdentifying factors that drive among-individual variation in mixed parasitic infections is fundamental to understanding the ecology and evolution of host–parasite interactions. However, a lack of non-invasive diagnostic tools to quantify mixed infections has restricted their investigation for host populations in the wild. This study applied DNA metabarcoding on parasite larvae cultured from faecal samples to characterize mixed strongyle infections of 320 feral horses on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 2014 to test for the influence of host (age, sex and reproductive/social status) and environmental (location, local density and social group membership) factors on variation. Twenty-five strongyle species were identified, with individual infections ranging from 3 to 18 species with a mean richness (±1 s.d.) of 10.8 ± 3.1. Strongyle eggs shed in faeces were dominated by small strongyle (cyathostomins) species in young individuals, transitioning to large strongyles (Strongylus spp.) in adults. Egg counts were highest in young individuals and in the west or centre of the island for most species. Individuals in the same social group had similar parasite communities, supporting the hypothesis that shared environment may drive parasite assemblages. Other factors such as local horse density, sex, date and reproductive/social status had minimal impacts on infection patterns. This study demonstrates that mixed infections can be dynamic across host ontogeny and space and emphasizes the need to consider species-specific infection patterns when investigating mixed infections.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0031182024001185/type/journal_articledisease ecologyDNA metabarcodinggastrointestinal parasiteITS2mixed infectionnemabiome |
| spellingShingle | Sangwook Ahn Elizabeth M. Redman Stefan Gavriliuc Jennifer Bellaw John S. Gilleard Philip D. McLoughlin Jocelyn Poissant Mixed strongyle parasite infections vary across host age and space in a population of feral horses Parasitology disease ecology DNA metabarcoding gastrointestinal parasite ITS2 mixed infection nemabiome |
| title | Mixed strongyle parasite infections vary across host age and space in a population of feral horses |
| title_full | Mixed strongyle parasite infections vary across host age and space in a population of feral horses |
| title_fullStr | Mixed strongyle parasite infections vary across host age and space in a population of feral horses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mixed strongyle parasite infections vary across host age and space in a population of feral horses |
| title_short | Mixed strongyle parasite infections vary across host age and space in a population of feral horses |
| title_sort | mixed strongyle parasite infections vary across host age and space in a population of feral horses |
| topic | disease ecology DNA metabarcoding gastrointestinal parasite ITS2 mixed infection nemabiome |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0031182024001185/type/journal_article |
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