RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Patterns of helminth parasite infections in cyclic common vole (Microtus arvalis) populations
A1 Trapote Villalaín, Eva
A1 Herrero Cofreces, Silvia
A1 Henttonen, H.
A1 Luque Larena, Juan José
A1 Mougeot, François Robert
K1 Parasite Infection
K1 Infección
K1 Topos
K1 Animales - Infecciones
K1 3207.12 Parasitología
K1 2401.11 Patología Animal
K1 31 Ciencias Agrarias
AB Research on parasite-induced regulation has identified the conditions under which parasites candestabilise host population dynamics: high levels of aggregation, delayed density-dependence,and moderate negative effects on fitness (reproduction, survival). Gastrointestinal helminthswith direct life cycles and a single definitive host provide ideal systems to test these predictions.In this study, we first determined which helminths infect common voles (Microtus arvalis) inNWSpain, where populations are cyclic.Weshowed that the helminth community is dominatedby Syphacia sp., a gut-restricted, directly transmitted nematode.We then examined how the prevalence and abundance of Syphacia sp. varied with host sex,season, and population cycle phase (increase, peak, or crash), and tested if vole condition(relative body mass and organ hypertrophy) and female fecundity (litter size) correlated withthe prevalence of Syphacia sp. Infections were highly aggregated in Syphacia sp. and parasiteabundance peaked during the crash phase of the vole cycle. Wefound that vole condition did notvary with the prevalence of Syphacia sp., but vole litter size showed a season-dependentassociation, with infected females producing smaller litters in spring and summer.These findings suggest that even low-pathogenic, directly transmitted parasites could exertreproductive effects, potentially shaping host population dynamics in combination with ecologicaland demographic factors. Experimental approaches are required to clarify causality andpotential regulatory feedback.
PB Cambridge University Press
SN 0022-149X
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/84025
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/84025
LA eng
NO Journal of Helminthology. 2026; vol. 100, e34, pp. 1-10
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 17-abr-2026