Influence of Parasitism on Trace Element Contents in Tissues of Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and Its Parasites Mesocestoides spp. (Cestoda) and Toxascaris leonina (Nematoda)

Abstract

Bioaccumulation of cadmium, chromium, copper, manganese, nickel, lead, and zinc in 56 foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and their parasites Mesocestoides spp. (Cestoda) and Toxascaris leonina (Nematoda) was studied. The levels of heavy metals were determined in the livers and kidneys of the animals depending on parasitism in the following ranges: Pb, 0.029-3.556; Cd, 0.055-9.967; Cr, 0.001-0.304; Cu, 4.15-41.15; Mn, 1.81-19.94; Ni: 0.037-0.831; Zn, 52.0-212.9 microg/g dry weight (dw). Cd in parasites (0.038-3.678 microg/g dw) were comparable with those in the livers of the host and lower than in the kidneys (0.095-6.032 microg/g dw). Contents of Pb, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn in cestodes were predominantly higher than those in the kidney and liver of the host. Median lead levels in Mesocestoides spp. (45.6 microg/g dw) were 52-fold higher than in the kidney and liver of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) infected by both parasites and median Pb values in T. leonina (8.98 microg/g dw) were 8-fold higher than in the tissues of the parasitized red fox. Bioaccumulation factors of copper, zinc, nickel, and manganese are lower than those of lead and mostly range from 1.9 to 24 for Mesocestoides spp. and from 1.5 to 6 for nematode T. leonina depending on the tissue of host and element. A significant decrease in the content of Pb was found in the kidney of animals infected by T. leonina (0.260 microg/g dw) as well as those infected by Mesocestoides spp. (0.457 microg/g dw) in comparison with the lead content (0.878 microg/g dw) in the kidneys of the nonparasitized red fox. Regardless of a bioaccumulation of copper and manganese in the parasites, a significant increase of the concentrations of Mn and Cu was observed in the host's livers infected predominantly by Mesocestoides spp.

Concentration of heavy metals in hair and skin of silver and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

“…In addition to the hair, milk of mothers, whole blood or blood serum, animal faeces and internal parasites are also good indicators (Dobrzański et al 2005;EPA 2001;Jankovská et al 2009). …”

“…The content of various chemical elements is most often analysed in internal organs of slaughtered foxes, mainly in kidneys and liver (Cybulski et al 2009a;Dip et al 2001;Hoekstra et al 2003;Prestrud et al 1994;Wieczorek and Gambuś 2005) or spermatozoa (Massányi et al 2005) and internal parasites (Jankovská et al 2009). …”

Experimental studies on the lead accumulation in the cestode Moniezia expansa (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) and its final host (Ovis aries)

“…Torres et al (2004Torres et al ( , 2006 and Jankovská et al (2009) proposed models for non urban areas (Gallegoides arfaai/Apodemus sylvaticus, Skrjabinotaenia lobata/Apodemus sylvaticus and Paranoplocephala spp./Microtus agrestris). Also the cestode/carnivore model (Mesocestoides spp./Vulpes vulpes) is the suitable bioindicator system (Jankovská et al 2010) while Eira et al (2005) verified the inadequacy of cestode/lagomorph model (Mosgovoyia ctenoides/Oryctolagus cuniculus) as a bioindicator system. Sures et al (2002a) revealed that the bioconcentration factor of the host-parasite-system rat-Hymenolepis diminuta had approximately 17 times higher lead burdens in the tapeworms compared with the rat kidney.…”

“…Information on parasites of terrestrial vertebrates as sentinels for heavy metal environmental pollution and the benefit to their host is scarce (Sures et al 2002a, b;Baruš et al 2003;Torres et al 2004Torres et al , 2006Jankovská et al 2008Jankovská et al , 2009Jankovská et al , 2010. It remains unclear if the conspicuous metal accumulation of the parasitic worms affects the metal levels in the tissues of the definitive host as very few comparative studies on heavy metal concentrations in tissues of infected and uninfected host are available.…”

Can the Hyperaccumulating Plant Arabidopsis halleri in Feed Influence a Given Consumer Organism (Rattus norvegicus var. alba)?

“…Metal contamination has become a worldwide problem (Dadar et al 2014;Jankovská et al 2010;Magdaleno et al 2014;Petrović et al 2013). Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant ranked eighth among the top 20 hazardous substances priority list (Klaassen et al 2009), and human activity has markedly increased the distribution of Cd in the global environment.…”