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14310

Associations between reproductive cycle and occurrence of intestinal helminths infecting the Egyptian lizard, Chalcides ocellatus

Article

Last updated: 22 Jan 2023

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Abstract

Little attention has been given to the association between the host reproductive cycle and the dynamics of parasitic infection in the reptilian model. This relationship was investigated in this study with the common intestinal nematode, Thelandros schusteri (Family: pharyngodonidae) infecting the Egyptian lizards, Chalcides ocelattus.  Fifty threelizards were collected during winter and spring 2009 and were weighted and sexed. The gonads were weighted and gonadosomatic index (GSI) was calculated; both represent measures of the reproductive cycle. The intestinal nematodes were recovered from the intestine by the standard technique. Results showed that the seasonal variation did not affect the infection prevalence in male or female lizards while GSI greatly affected the prevalence in female lizards only. Females with low GSI showed the highest infection prevalence while, those of high GSI showed the highest intensity of infection. Positive or negative correlations between number of follicles/ ovary, gonad mass or GSI and the intensity of infection in female hosts suggested that the investment in reproduction of females is more costly than for males. We interpret the high intensity of infection in females to be an effect of the reproductive cycle and conclude that sex dependent difference is very important in such pattern of host parasite relationship when aspects of reproductive cycle are considered and that the host reproductive investment may be a factor contributing to occurrence of parasitic infection.

DOI

10.21608/eajbsz.2011.14310

Keywords

Lizard – intestinal nematodes, gonadosomatic index

Authors

First Name

Hala

Last Name

Ebaid

MiddleName

M.

Affiliation

Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

Email

halaebaid@yahoo.com

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Orcid

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Volume

3

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

2794

Issue Date

2011-12-01

Receive Date

2018-09-20

Publish Date

2011-12-01

Page Start

19

Page End

26

Print ISSN

2090-0759

Online ISSN

2090-0821

Link

https://eajbsz.journals.ekb.eg/article_14310.html

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https://eajbsz.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=14310

Order

3

Type

Original Article

Type Code

672

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences, B. Zoology

Publication Link

https://eajbsz.journals.ekb.eg/

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Article

Created At

22 Jan 2023