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A comparison of two methods for quantifying parasitic nematode fecundity

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Abstract

Accurate measures of nematode fecundity can provide important information for investigating parasite life history evolution, transmission potential, and effects on host health. Understanding differences among fecundity assessment protocols and standardizing methods, where possible, will enable comparisons across different studies and host and parasite species and systems. Using the trichostrongyle nematode Cooperia fuelleborni isolated from wild African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), we compared egg recovery and enumeration between two methods for measuring the fecundity of female worms. The first method, in utero egg count, involves visual enumeration of the eggs via microscopic inspection of the uterine system. The second method, ex utero egg count, involves dissolving the same specimens from above in a sodium chloride solution to release the eggs from the female’s uterus, then enumeration under an inverted microscope. On average, the ex utero method resulted in 34% more eggs than the in utero method. However, results indicate that the two methods used to quantify parasitic nematode fecundity are highly correlated. Thus, while both methods are viable options for estimating relative nematode fecundity, we recommend caution in undertaking comparative studies that utilize egg count data collected using different methods.

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks to South Africa National Parks Veterinary Services for assistance with the animal capture operations. We thank R. Spaan, J. Spaan, A. Majewska, J. Alagappan, C. Becker, B. Beechler, E. Belinfante, E. Gorsich, C. Gondhalekar, C. Hebbale, T. Lavelle, L. Leathers, L. Megow, T. Mowla, A. Petrelli, K. Raum, N. Rogers, K. Sakamoto, P. Snyder, and M. Smith for invaluable assistance in the field and in the lab. All animal protocols were approved by the UGA Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (AUP#: A2013 08-017-Y1-A0; AUP#: A2010 10-190-Y3-A5). This work was funded by the National Science Foundation Ecology of Infectious Diseases Grant to VOE and AEJ (DEB-1102493, EF-0723928). LVA was supported by a Georgia Museum of Natural History’s Joshua Laerm Academic Support Award for Undergraduate Research and an NSF REU supplement to DEB-1102493; JR was supported by the NSF Population of Infectious Diseases REU Program at the University of Georgia (DBI-1156707).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, 140 E. Green St, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Lauren V. Austin, Sarah A. Budischak & Vanessa O. Ezenwa

  2. Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 310 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Lauren V. Austin

  3. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, 106A Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ, 08544-2016, USA

    Sarah A. Budischak

  4. Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, 510 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Jessica Ramadhin & Vanessa O. Ezenwa

  5. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD, USA

    Eric P. Hoberg & Art Abrams

  6. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, 105 Magruder Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Anna E. Jolles

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  1. Lauren V. Austin
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  2. Sarah A. Budischak
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  3. Jessica Ramadhin
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  4. Eric P. Hoberg
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  5. Art Abrams
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  6. Anna E. Jolles
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  7. Vanessa O. Ezenwa
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Correspondence to Sarah A. Budischak.

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Austin, L.V., Budischak, S.A., Ramadhin, J. et al. A comparison of two methods for quantifying parasitic nematode fecundity. Parasitol Res 116, 1597–1602 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-017-5436-8

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