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By way of example, a parasite that reproduces in an intermediate host may require, as part of their life cycle, that the intermediate host be eaten by a predator at a higher trophic level, and some parasites are capable of altering the behavior of the intermediate host to make such predation more likely; [1] [2] a mechanism that has been called ...
A parasite may evolve to become less harmful for its host or a host may evolve to cope with the unavoidable presence of a parasite—to the point that the parasite's absence causes the host harm. For example, although animals parasitised by worms are often clearly harmed, such infections may also reduce the prevalence and effects of autoimmune ...
Chordodes formosanus is a horsehair worm that has the praying mantis as its definitive host. Horsehair worms are obligate parasites that pass through different hosts at various stages. These worms can grow up to 90 centimetres (35 in) long and can be extremely dangerous for their host, especially the praying mantis. [1] [2]
The appearance and behaviour of the sporocysts is a case of aggressive mimicry, where the parasite vaguely resembles the food of the host, thereby gaining the parasite entry into the host's body by being eaten. This is unlike most other cases of aggressive mimicry, in which the mimic eats the duped animal. [13]
These can be categorized into three groups; cestodes, nematodes and trematodes.Examples include: Acanthocephala; Ascariasis (roundworms); Cestoda (tapeworms) including: Taenia saginata (human beef tapeworm), Taenia solium (human pork tapeworm), Diphyllobothrium latum (fish tapeworm) and Echinococcosis (hydatid tapeworm)
Dividing T. gondii parasites. Toxoplasma gondii (/ ˈ t ɒ k s ə ˌ p l æ z m ə ˈ ɡ ɒ n d i. aɪ,-iː /) is a species of parasitic alveolate that causes toxoplasmosis. [3] Found worldwide, T. gondii is capable of infecting virtually all warm-blooded animals, [4]: 1 but felids are the only known definitive hosts in which the parasite may undergo sexual reproduction.
Parasites need a host body and the haematophagous insect triatomine (descriptions "assassin bug", "cone-nose bug", and "kissing bug") is the major vector in accord with a mechanism of infection. The triatomine likes the nests of vertebrate animals for shelter, where it bites and sucks blood for food.
The parasite then replaces the fish's tongue by attaching its own body to the muscles of the tongue stub. [7] The parasite apparently does not cause much other damage to the host fish, [2] but Lanzing and O'Connor (1975) reported that infested fish with two or more of the parasites are usually underweight. [8]