Living off a fish: A trade-off between parasites and the immune system

Molecular profiling of the gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L.) response to chronic exposure to the myxosporean parasite Enteromyxum leei

“…In the HK of R-PAR fish downregulation affected mainly digestive and lysosomal proteases, complements, lectins, and immune response genes. This marked down-regulation of the host immune system after infection could be considered a mechanism of immune evasion, as described for other fish and mammalian parasites (see Sitjà-Bobadilla, 2008). By contrast, at the local level (INT) R-NonPAR fish appeared to have far less repression of transcription, as only 13 down-regulated genes passed a 1.5 fold filter.…”

Variation in parasite communities and health indices of juvenile Lepomis gibbosus across a gradient of watershed land-use and habitat quality

“…Further, genetic variation within a population has been shown to influence both resistance and tolerance to parasite species, and environmental factors such as temperature can influence host tolerance to parasites (Blanchet et al, 2010). As both poor habitat quality (Jeffries et al, 2015) and parasite burden (Sitjà-Bobadilla, 2008) have been related to decreased fish health and survival, disentangling the relationship between HAI scores, parasite abundance, and habitat is beyond the scope of field surveys such as this. Indeed an array of potential stressors, anthropogenic or natural, can influence the health of an organism.…”

Strong effect of long-term Sparicotyle chrysophrii infection on the cellular and innate immune responses of gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata

“…However, very few evasion processes have been associated with monogenean parasites as reviewed by Álvarez-Pellitero (2008) and Sitjà-Bobadilla (2008). They include parasite migration (Buchmann et al, 2001) and exploitation of the host immune system (Buchmann, 2000).…”