Parasite Fauna of the Blackbelly Garter Snake (<i>Thamnophis melanogaster</i>) in Central Mexico
Vertebrates function as intermediate hosts for the last larval stages of metazoan parasites and as their definitive hosts where sexual reproduction takes place. In this work, the metazoans that parasitize the snake <i>Thamnophis melanogaster</i> in Laguna de Cuitzeo, Michoacán, were iden...
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| author | Frida S. Silva-Trejo Petra Sánchez-Nava Armando Sunny Crystian Sadiel Venegas-Barrera Javier Manjarrez |
| author_facet | Frida S. Silva-Trejo Petra Sánchez-Nava Armando Sunny Crystian Sadiel Venegas-Barrera Javier Manjarrez |
| author_sort | Frida S. Silva-Trejo |
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| description | Vertebrates function as intermediate hosts for the last larval stages of metazoan parasites and as their definitive hosts where sexual reproduction takes place. In this work, the metazoans that parasitize the snake <i>Thamnophis melanogaster</i> in Laguna de Cuitzeo, Michoacán, were identified, and their infection parameters were calculated to determine the factors that determine the presence of the metazoan species found. A total of 24 snakes (20 adults and 4 neonates) were collected, but only the adults affected by parasitic metazoans were detected, accounting for 54.2% of the total sample. One trematode species, one nematode species, and one acanthocephalan species were found inside the snake. The cystacanth <i>Polymorphus brevis</i> (37.5%) and <i>Contracaecum</i> sp. (25%) stand out for their high prevalence. <i>Ochetosoma brevicaecum</i> and the pentastomids of the genus <i>Porocephalus</i> presented a low prevalence. Only <i>O. brevicaecum</i> uses <i>T. melanogaster</i> as a definitive host. The life cycles of the metazoan that parasitizes <i>T. melanogaster</i> suggest that the snake acquires the infection through active transmission by penetration or passive transmission by ingestion. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-50048cd9c7814b8ea7ff9373aafaa3362025-01-24T13:29:21ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182024-12-011711110.3390/d17010011Parasite Fauna of the Blackbelly Garter Snake (<i>Thamnophis melanogaster</i>) in Central MexicoFrida S. Silva-Trejo0Petra Sánchez-Nava1Armando Sunny2Crystian Sadiel Venegas-Barrera3Javier Manjarrez4Dirección de Medio Ambiente, Municipio de Almoloya de Juaréz, José María Morelos s/n, Centro, Villa de Almoloya de Juárez 50900, Estado de México, MexicoFacultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca 50000, Estado de México, MexicoCentro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas Aplicadas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca 50000, Estado de México, MexicoInstituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Victoria, Tecnológico Nacional de México, Ciudad Victoria 87010, Tamaulipas, MexicoFacultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca 50000, Estado de México, MexicoVertebrates function as intermediate hosts for the last larval stages of metazoan parasites and as their definitive hosts where sexual reproduction takes place. In this work, the metazoans that parasitize the snake <i>Thamnophis melanogaster</i> in Laguna de Cuitzeo, Michoacán, were identified, and their infection parameters were calculated to determine the factors that determine the presence of the metazoan species found. A total of 24 snakes (20 adults and 4 neonates) were collected, but only the adults affected by parasitic metazoans were detected, accounting for 54.2% of the total sample. One trematode species, one nematode species, and one acanthocephalan species were found inside the snake. The cystacanth <i>Polymorphus brevis</i> (37.5%) and <i>Contracaecum</i> sp. (25%) stand out for their high prevalence. <i>Ochetosoma brevicaecum</i> and the pentastomids of the genus <i>Porocephalus</i> presented a low prevalence. Only <i>O. brevicaecum</i> uses <i>T. melanogaster</i> as a definitive host. The life cycles of the metazoan that parasitizes <i>T. melanogaster</i> suggest that the snake acquires the infection through active transmission by penetration or passive transmission by ingestion.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/1/11Cuitzeoprevalenceaverage intensityabundance |
| spellingShingle | Frida S. Silva-Trejo Petra Sánchez-Nava Armando Sunny Crystian Sadiel Venegas-Barrera Javier Manjarrez Parasite Fauna of the Blackbelly Garter Snake (<i>Thamnophis melanogaster</i>) in Central Mexico Diversity Cuitzeo prevalence average intensity abundance |
| title | Parasite Fauna of the Blackbelly Garter Snake (<i>Thamnophis melanogaster</i>) in Central Mexico |
| title_full | Parasite Fauna of the Blackbelly Garter Snake (<i>Thamnophis melanogaster</i>) in Central Mexico |
| title_fullStr | Parasite Fauna of the Blackbelly Garter Snake (<i>Thamnophis melanogaster</i>) in Central Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parasite Fauna of the Blackbelly Garter Snake (<i>Thamnophis melanogaster</i>) in Central Mexico |
| title_short | Parasite Fauna of the Blackbelly Garter Snake (<i>Thamnophis melanogaster</i>) in Central Mexico |
| title_sort | parasite fauna of the blackbelly garter snake i thamnophis melanogaster i in central mexico |
| topic | Cuitzeo prevalence average intensity abundance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/1/11 |
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