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Parasites pitched against nature: Pitch Lake water protects guppies (Poecilia reticulata) from microbial and gyrodactylid infections

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Parasites pitched against nature: Pitch Lake water protects guppies (Poecilia reticulata) from microbial and gyrodactylid infections. / Schelkle, Bettina ; Mohammed, Ryan S.; Coogan, Michael et al.
In: Parasitology, Vol. 139, No. 13, 2012, p. 1772-1779.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Schelkle, B, Mohammed, RS, Coogan, M, McMullen, M, Gillingham, EL, Van Oosterhout, C & Cable, J 2012, 'Parasites pitched against nature: Pitch Lake water protects guppies (Poecilia reticulata) from microbial and gyrodactylid infections', Parasitology, vol. 139, no. 13, pp. 1772-1779. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182012001059

APA

Schelkle, B., Mohammed, R. S., Coogan, M., McMullen, M., Gillingham, E. L., Van Oosterhout, C., & Cable, J. (2012). Parasites pitched against nature: Pitch Lake water protects guppies (Poecilia reticulata) from microbial and gyrodactylid infections. Parasitology, 139(13), 1772-1779. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182012001059

Vancouver

Schelkle B, Mohammed RS, Coogan M, McMullen M, Gillingham EL, Van Oosterhout C et al. Parasites pitched against nature: Pitch Lake water protects guppies (Poecilia reticulata) from microbial and gyrodactylid infections. Parasitology. 2012;139(13):1772-1779. doi: 10.1017/S0031182012001059

Author

Schelkle, Bettina ; Mohammed, Ryan S. ; Coogan, Michael et al. / Parasites pitched against nature : Pitch Lake water protects guppies (Poecilia reticulata) from microbial and gyrodactylid infections. In: Parasitology. 2012 ; Vol. 139, No. 13. pp. 1772-1779.

Bibtex

@article{c897f475dece4f27a5f25162414e6198,
title = "Parasites pitched against nature: Pitch Lake water protects guppies (Poecilia reticulata) from microbial and gyrodactylid infections",
abstract = "The enemy release hypothesis proposes that in parasite depleted habitats, populations will experience relaxed selection and become more susceptible (or less tolerant) to pathogenic infections. Here, we focus on a population of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) that are found in an extreme environment (the Pitch Lake, Trinidad) and examine whether this habitat represents a refuge from parasites. We investigated the efficacy of pitch in preventing microbial infections in Pitch Lake guppies, by exposing them to dechlorinated water, and reducing gyrodactylid infections on non-Pitch Lake guppies by transferring them to Pitch Lake water. We show that (i) natural prevalence of ectoparasites in the Pitch Lake is low compared to reference populations, (ii) Pitch Lake guppies transferred into aquarium water develop microbial infections, and (iii) experimentally infected guppies are cured of their gyrodactylid infections both by natural Pitch Lake water and by dechlorinated water containing solid pitch. These results indicate a role for Pitch Lake water in the defence of guppies from their parasites and suggest that Pitch Lake guppies might have undergone enemy release in this extreme environment. The Pitch Lake provides an ideal ecosystem for studies on immune gene evolution in the absence of parasites and long-term evolutionary implications of hydrocarbon pollution for vertebrates.",
keywords = "antihelminthic, asphalt, Pitch Lake, Gyrodactylus, Poecilia reticulata, enemy release",
author = "Bettina Schelkle and Mohammed, {Ryan S.} and Michael Coogan and Mark McMullen and Gillingham, {Emma L.} and {Van Oosterhout}, Cock and Joanne Cable",
year = "2012",
doi = "10.1017/S0031182012001059",
language = "English",
volume = "139",
pages = "1772--1779",
journal = "Parasitology",
issn = "0031-1820",
publisher = "Cambridge University Press",
number = "13",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Parasites pitched against nature

T2 - Pitch Lake water protects guppies (Poecilia reticulata) from microbial and gyrodactylid infections

AU - Schelkle, Bettina

AU - Mohammed, Ryan S.

AU - Coogan, Michael

AU - McMullen, Mark

AU - Gillingham, Emma L.

AU - Van Oosterhout, Cock

AU - Cable, Joanne

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - The enemy release hypothesis proposes that in parasite depleted habitats, populations will experience relaxed selection and become more susceptible (or less tolerant) to pathogenic infections. Here, we focus on a population of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) that are found in an extreme environment (the Pitch Lake, Trinidad) and examine whether this habitat represents a refuge from parasites. We investigated the efficacy of pitch in preventing microbial infections in Pitch Lake guppies, by exposing them to dechlorinated water, and reducing gyrodactylid infections on non-Pitch Lake guppies by transferring them to Pitch Lake water. We show that (i) natural prevalence of ectoparasites in the Pitch Lake is low compared to reference populations, (ii) Pitch Lake guppies transferred into aquarium water develop microbial infections, and (iii) experimentally infected guppies are cured of their gyrodactylid infections both by natural Pitch Lake water and by dechlorinated water containing solid pitch. These results indicate a role for Pitch Lake water in the defence of guppies from their parasites and suggest that Pitch Lake guppies might have undergone enemy release in this extreme environment. The Pitch Lake provides an ideal ecosystem for studies on immune gene evolution in the absence of parasites and long-term evolutionary implications of hydrocarbon pollution for vertebrates.

AB - The enemy release hypothesis proposes that in parasite depleted habitats, populations will experience relaxed selection and become more susceptible (or less tolerant) to pathogenic infections. Here, we focus on a population of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) that are found in an extreme environment (the Pitch Lake, Trinidad) and examine whether this habitat represents a refuge from parasites. We investigated the efficacy of pitch in preventing microbial infections in Pitch Lake guppies, by exposing them to dechlorinated water, and reducing gyrodactylid infections on non-Pitch Lake guppies by transferring them to Pitch Lake water. We show that (i) natural prevalence of ectoparasites in the Pitch Lake is low compared to reference populations, (ii) Pitch Lake guppies transferred into aquarium water develop microbial infections, and (iii) experimentally infected guppies are cured of their gyrodactylid infections both by natural Pitch Lake water and by dechlorinated water containing solid pitch. These results indicate a role for Pitch Lake water in the defence of guppies from their parasites and suggest that Pitch Lake guppies might have undergone enemy release in this extreme environment. The Pitch Lake provides an ideal ecosystem for studies on immune gene evolution in the absence of parasites and long-term evolutionary implications of hydrocarbon pollution for vertebrates.

KW - antihelminthic

KW - asphalt

KW - Pitch Lake

KW - Gyrodactylus

KW - Poecilia reticulata

KW - enemy release

U2 - 10.1017/S0031182012001059

DO - 10.1017/S0031182012001059

M3 - Journal article

VL - 139

SP - 1772

EP - 1779

JO - Parasitology

JF - Parasitology

SN - 0031-1820

IS - 13

ER -