Does interspecific competition have a moderating effect on Taenia solium transmission dynamics in Southeast Asia?

Abstract

It is well understood that sociocultural practices strongly influence Taenia solium transmission; however, the extent to which interspecific parasite competition moderates Taenia transmission has yet to be determined. This is certainly the case in Southeast Asia where T. solium faces competition in

Complexities in using sentinel pigs to study Taenia solium transmission dynamics under field conditions

“…Likewise, developed T. solium cysticerci could have been detected by the immune system, leading to early degeneration and dissolution before necropsy. In addition to T. solium-specific immunity, aborted infections might also have been induced by cross-immunity, as proposed by Conlan et al (2009). In our study, this cross-immunity hypothesis would imply that a high environmental pressure of T. hydatigena eggs reduced the likelihood of a viable T. solium infection.…”

“…These factors should be monitored during the course of the study, and care should be taken to maintain a homogenous population. More recently, the possible influence of interspecies interaction and crossimmunity on the transmission dynamics of T. solium has been put forward (Conlan et al, 2009). Under this hypothesis, prior infection with a competing Taenia species might protect individuals against subsequent infection with T. solium.…”

Filaria zoogeography in Africa: ecology, competitive exclusion, and public health relevance

“…There have been several studies on competitive exclusion in parasite-host systems. Examples include cestodes in the gut of sticklebacks [2]; the gills of eels and carp infected with Monogenean parasites [3,4]; human schistosome-host interactions in Central Africa [5]; the tick-borne blood parasites Babesia, Theileria, and Anaplasma in livestock in Morocco [6]; and Taenia parasites in Southeast Asia [6]. Moll and Brown [7] discuss competition and coexistence in species with multiple life-history stages using amphibian models.…”

The Parasitological, Immunological, and Molecular Diagnosis of Human Taeniasis with Special Emphasis on Taenia solium Taeniasis

“…Competition between tapeworms, of the same or different species, influencing their establishment has been suggested by Conlan et al [61]. Since people may consume pork meat infected with many cysts, potentially many of these can develop into adult worms within one …”