Article
Changes in the locomotory and reproductive behavior of Biomphalaria glabrata infected with Schistosoma mansoni
Registro en:
SILVA, Anna Carla Alberto; et al. Changes in the locomotory and reproductive behavior of Biomphalaria glabrata infected with Schistosoma mansoni. Experimental Parasitology, v.153, p.68-74, Jun. 2015
0014-4894
10.1016/j.exppara.2015.03.004
Autor
Silva, Anna Carla Alberto
Santos, Everton Gustavo Nunes
Santos, Cláudia Portes
Silva, Clélia Christina Mello
Resumen
The infection and development of a parasitemay cause physiological, morphological and behavioral changes
in its host. Changes in the locomotory activity of a host induced by their parasites may also influence the
life-cycles of both host and parasite in the environment. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the
locomotory activities of Biomphalaria glabrata before and after an experimental infection with Schistosoma
mansoni relating to the shedding of cercaria. In addition, the reproductive parameters of infected B. glabrata
were analyzed during the prepatent and patent periods of the infection. The locomotory activitywas recorded
using an image analysis biomonitoring system based on a Videomex V®. Five parameters were analyzed:
‘Distance traveled’, ‘Ambulatory time’, ‘Stereotypic time’, ‘Resting time’ and ‘Average speed’. The number
of shed cercariaewas counted twice at 45 and 52 days post-infection. The reproductive parameters of infected
B. glabrata analyzed were the numbers of egg masses, eggs and hatched snails. All statistical analyses were
performed using the R program. Of the 69 snails infected with S. mansoni, 33 (47.8%) shed cercariae (‘positive’)
and 36 (52.2%) (‘exposed’) failed to exhibit any cercarial shedding prior to the end of the experiment.
The locomotory activity of the all snails increased significantly after infection with S. mansoni. However,
when the ‘positive’ and ‘exposed’ snails were compared, the former, shedding cercariae, were less motile.
With regard to reproduction, 84.8% (28/33) of the ‘positive’ and 27.7% (10/36) of the ‘exposed’ snails
failed to lay egg masses during patent period. The number of cercariae individually shed by each. 2016-05-31