Author:
SURES B.,JÜRGES G.,TARASCHEWSKI H.
Abstract
It recently became clear that adult eo- and palaeacanthocephalans parasitizing fish can bioconcentrate several heavy metals
to significantly higher concentrations than the tissues of their definitive hosts. Following this discovery the lead accumulation
of the archiacanthocephalan Moniliformis moniliformis was investigated using experimentally infected male Wistar
rats of the CD-M-strain. The worms were allowed to grow up for 4 weeks post-infection followed by a 3 weeks oral lead
exposure of the rats. After the exposure period the rats were killed and the metal levels were determined in muscle, liver,
intestine and kidney of the rats as well as in different organs of female and male acanthocephalans. Lead concentrations
were found to be highest in female M. moniliformis followed by the kidneys of the rats. Male worms contained approximately
the same lead concentration as the hosts' kidneys. Lead analysis of the worms' organs revealed the highest lead
concentration in the eggs of female acanthocephalans, followed by the cement gland of male Worms. Whilst the lead
burden of the presoma was higher than that detected in the kidneys of the rats, the lead content of the metasoma was even
lower than in the kidneys. A lead uptake of M. moniliformis from the intestinal lumen of the host became apparent as the
faeces of infected rats contained significantly less lead compared to the uninfected conspecifics. Thus, this study reveals
that lead accumulation also occurs in archiacanthocephalans parasitizing mammals. But the degree of metal bioconcentration
is considerably lower compared to eo- and palaeacanthocephalans in fish. Anyway, due to a lack of adequate
sentinel species in terrestrial biotopes the host–parasite system rat– M. moniliformis appears to be a useful and promising
bioindication system especially in urban ecosystems in temperate regions.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Subject
Infectious Diseases,Animal Science and Zoology,Parasitology
Cited by
31 articles.
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