In this study the digenean parasites in the mud snail Hydrobia ulvae at two sites were compared for a period of one year. The sites were the north shore of Belfast Lough (Northern Ireland) and the Bend of Tarty on the Ythan Estuary (north-east Scotland). Samples of snails were collected monthly from which 13 species of digenean larvae were recorded at Belfast Lough. Two of these species were absent at the Bend of Tarty. Overall digenean prevalence was very similar at each site indicating that the respective bird communities were composed of ecologically equivalent species. Differences in the prevalence of individual digenean species are discussed in relation to the abundance of definitive and/or secondary intermediate hosts at each of the sites. Both sites displayed similar seasonal patterns of parasite prevalence with sharp increases to around 25% in the summer months. Snail shell heights were greater at Belfast Lough than at the Bend of Tarty and a positive correlation between snail shell height and infection by trematode parasites was recorded at both sites. Increased parasite prevalence in larger snails was attributed to factors such as age-related susceptibility and/or parasitic castration of the snails.

The incidence of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) has increased in wildlife populations in recent years and is expected to continue to increase with global environmental change. Marine diseases are relatively understudied compared to terrestrial diseases but warrant parallel attention as they can disrupt ecosystems, cause economic loss, and threaten human livelihoods. While there are many existing tools to combat the direct and indirect consequences of EIDs, these management strategies are often insufficient or ineffective in marine habitats compared to their terrestrial counterparts, often due to fundamental differences between marine and terrestrial systems. Here, we first illustrate how the marine environment and marine organism life histories present challenges and opportunities for wildlife disease management. We then assess the application of common disease management strategies to marine versus terrestrial systems to identify those that may be most effective for marine disease outbreak prevention, response, and recovery. Finally, we recommend multiple actions that will enable more successful management of marine wildlife disease emergencies in the future. These include prioritizing marine disease research and understanding its links to climate change, improving marine ecosystem health, forming better monitoring and response networks, developing marine veterinary medicine programs, and enacting policy that addresses marine and other wildlife diseases. Overall, we encourage a more proactive rather than reactive approach to marine wildlife disease management and emphasize that multi-disciplinary collaborations are crucial to managing marine wildlife health.

Metacercarial cysts identified as Levinseniella sp. no. 17 (Deblock, 1980) were found in the mud snail Hydrobia ulvae. These larval trematodes had never been allied to a known species of adult worm. They were chemically excysted and cultured for 120 hr on the chorioallantoic membranes of chicken embryos. The resulting adult worms were observed by light and scanning electron microscopy and details of their anatomy and topography were compiled. Their morphometric measurements were compared with those of adult worms taken from the scientific literature. A very high degree of similarity was discovered between anatomical details of the worms produced in this study and those provided for Levinseniella minuta. It was concluded that Levinseniella sp. no. 17 is the larval stage of L. minuta.

The incidence of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) has increased in wildlife populations in recent years and is expected to continue to increase with global change. Marine diseases in particular are relatively understudied compared to terrestrial disease, but they can disrupt ecosystem resilience, cause economic loss, or threaten human health. While there are many existing tools to combat the direct and indirect consequences of EIDs, these management strategies are often insufficient or ineffective in marine habitats compared to their terrestrial counterparts, often due to fundamental differences in marine and terrestrial systems. Here, we first illustrate how the marine environment and marine organism life history present challenges or opportunities for wildlife disease management. We then assess the application of common disease management strategies to marine versus terrestrial systems to identify those that may be most effective for marine disease outbreak prevention, response, and recovery. Finally, we recommend multiple actions that will enable more successful management of marine wildlife disease emergencies in the future. These include prioritizing marine disease research and understanding its links to climate change, preventatively increasing marine ecosystem health, forming better monitoring and response networks, developing marine veterinary medicine programs, and enacting policy that addresses marine and other wildlife disease. Overall, we encourage a more proactive rather than reactive approach to marine conservation in general and to marine wildlife disease in particular and emphasize that multi-disciplinary collaborations are key to managing marine wildlife health.