1
|
Sckrabulis JP, Messner ML, Stanny J, McWhinnie RB, Ansari HD, Hajek AM, Bageris A, Raffel TR. Large-scale spatial drivers of avian schistosomes in Northern Michigan inland lakes. Parasitology 2024; 151:495-505. [PMID: 38465379 PMCID: PMC11106508 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182024000337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Avian schistosomes are snail-borne trematode parasites (Trichobilharzia spp.) that can cause a nasty skin rash in humans when their cercariae mistake us for their normal bird hosts. We sought to investigate drivers of the spatial distribution of Trichobilharzia cercaria abundance throughout Northern Michigan lakes. For 38 sites on 16 lakes, we assessed several dozen potential environmental predictors that we hypothesized might have direct or indirect effects on overall cercaria abundance, based on known relationships between abiotic and biotic factors in wetland ecosystems. We included variables quantifying local densities of intermediate hosts, temperature, periphyton growth rates, human land use and hydrology. We also measured daily abundance of schistosome cercariae in the water over a 5-week period, supported by community scientists who collected and preserved filtered water samples for qPCR. The strongest predictor of cercaria abundance was Lymnaea host snail density. Lymnaea density was higher in deeper lakes and at sites with more deciduous tree cover, consistent with their association with cool temperature habitats. Contrary to past studies of human schistosomes, we also found a significant negative relationship between cercaria abundance and submerged aquatic vegetation, possibly due to vegetation blocking cercaria movement from offshore snail beds. If future work shows that these effects are indeed causal, then these results suggest possible new approaches to managing swimmer's itch risk in northern MI lakes, such as modifying tree cover and shallow-water vegetation at local sites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jason P. Sckrabulis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, 118 Library Drive, 374 Dodge Hall, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Science Center, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Madelyn L. Messner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, 118 Library Drive, 374 Dodge Hall, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Jenna Stanny
- Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, 118 Library Drive, 374 Dodge Hall, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Ryan B. McWhinnie
- Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, 118 Library Drive, 374 Dodge Hall, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Hamzah D. Ansari
- Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, 146 Library Drive, 260 Mathematics and Science Center, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Aleena M. Hajek
- Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, 118 Library Drive, 374 Dodge Hall, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Alexander Bageris
- Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, 118 Library Drive, 374 Dodge Hall, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Thomas R. Raffel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, 118 Library Drive, 374 Dodge Hall, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bispo MT, Calado M, Maurício IL, Ferreira PM, Belo S. Zoonotic Threats: The (Re)emergence of Cercarial Dermatitis, Its Dynamics, and Impact in Europe. Pathogens 2024; 13:282. [PMID: 38668237 PMCID: PMC11053805 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13040282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Cercarial dermatitis (CD), or "Swimmer's itch" as it is also known, is a waterborne illness caused by a blood fluke from the family Schistosomatidae. It occurs when cercariae of trematode species that do not have humans as their definitive host accidentally penetrate human skin (in an aquatic environment) and trigger allergic symptoms at the site of contact. It is an emerging zoonosis that occurs through water and is often overlooked during differential diagnosis. Some of the factors contributing to the emergence of diseases like CD are related to global warming, which brings about climate change, water eutrophication, the colonization of ponds by snails susceptible to the parasite, and sunlight exposure in the summer, associated with migratory bird routes. Therefore, with the increase in tourism, especially at fluvial beaches, it is relevant to analyze the current epidemiological scenario of CD in European countries and the potential regions at risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Teresa Bispo
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; (M.C.); (I.L.M.); (P.M.F.)
| | | | | | | | - Silvana Belo
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; (M.C.); (I.L.M.); (P.M.F.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Blankespoor CL, Blankespoor HD, DeJong RJ. Swimmer's itch control: Timely waterfowl brood relocation significantly reduces an avian schistosome population and human cases on recreational lakes. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0288948. [PMID: 38359003 PMCID: PMC10868848 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Swimmer's itch (SI) is a dermatitis in humans caused by cercariae of avian and mammalian schistosomes which emerge from infected snails on a daily basis. Mitigation methods for SI have long been sought with little success. Copper sulfate application to the water to kill the snail hosts is the historically employed method, but is localized, temporary, and harmful to many aquatic species. Here, we test an alternative method to control Trichobilharzia stagnicolae, a species well-known to cause SI in northern Michigan and elsewhere in North America. Summer relocation of broods of the only known vertebrate host, common merganser (Mergus merganser), greatly reduced snail infection prevalence the following year on two large, geographically separated lakes in northern Michigan. Subsequent years of host relocation achieved and maintained snail infection prevalence at ~0.05%, more than an order of magnitude lower than pre-intervention. A Before-After-Control-Intervention (BACI) study design using multiple-year snail infection data from two intervention lakes and three control lakes demonstrates that dramatic lake-wide reduction of an avian schistosome can be achieved and is not due to natural fluctuations in the parasite populations. The relevance of reducing snail infection prevalence is demonstrated by a large seven-year data set of SI incidence in swimmers at a high-use beach, which showed a substantial reduction in SI cases in two successive years after relocation began. In addition, data from another Michigan lake where vertebrate-host based intervention occurred in the 1980's are analyzed statistically and show a remarkably similar pattern of reduction in snail infection prevalence. Together, these results demonstrate a highly effective SI mitigation strategy that avoids the use of environmentally suspect chemicals and removes incentive for lethal host removal. Biologically, the results strongly suggest that T. stagnicolae is reliant on the yearly hatch of ducklings to maintain populations at high levels on a lake and that the role of migratory hosts in the spring and fall is much less significant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Curtis L. Blankespoor
- Science Department, Jackson College, Jackson, Michigan, United States of America
- University of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, Michigan, United States of America
- Swimmer’s Itch Solutions, LLC, Adrian, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Harvey D. Blankespoor
- University of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, Michigan, United States of America
- Swimmer’s Itch Solutions, LLC, Adrian, Michigan, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Hope College, Holland, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Randall J. DeJong
- University of Michigan Biological Station, Pellston, Michigan, United States of America
- Swimmer’s Itch Solutions, LLC, Adrian, Michigan, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Soper DM, Raffel TR, Sckrabulis JP, Froelich KL, McPhail BA, Ostrowski MD, Reimink RL, Romano D, Rudko SP, Hanington PC. A novel schistosome species hosted by Planorbella (Helisoma) trivolvis is the most widespread swimmer's itch-causing parasite in Michigan inland lakes. Parasitology 2022; 150:1-10. [PMID: 36349562 PMCID: PMC10090624 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182022001561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Cercarial dermatitis (‘swimmer's itch’; SI), characterized by small itchy bumps caused by schistosome parasites of birds and mammals, is a common problem in Michigan. Research on avian schistosomes began nearly 100 years ago in Michigan inland lakes, yet scientists are still uncovering basic biological information including the identification of local snail and parasite species that cause SI. Previous research primarily focused on lakes in the northern half of Michigan's lower peninsula, although SI occurs throughout the state. We surveyed snails and snail-borne trematodes in lakes across Michigan's lower peninsula and used quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of filtered water samples to identify parasites to the species level, including a recently discovered parasite species that uses the snail Planorbella (Helisoma) trivolvis as its intermediate host. Most SI mitigation efforts have focused on a parasite species hosted by the snail Lymnaea catescopium ( = Stagnicola emarginata); however, lymnaeid snails and their associated schistosome species were largely restricted to northern lakes. In contrast, P. trivolvis and its associated parasite species were common in both northern and southern Michigan lakes. A third schistosome species associated with physid snails was also present at low levels in both northern and southern lakes. These results indicate that the recently discovered parasite species and its planorbid snail intermediate host may be more important drivers of Michigan SI than previously thought, possibly due to increased definitive host abundance in recent decades. These results have potentially important implications for SI mitigation and control efforts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D. M. Soper
- Department of Biology, University of Dallas, 1845 E. Northgate Dr, Irving, TX 75062, USA
| | - T. R. Raffel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, 118 Library Dr, Rochester Hills, MI 48309, USA
| | - J. P. Sckrabulis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, 118 Library Dr, Rochester Hills, MI 48309, USA
| | - K. L. Froelich
- St. Joseph High School, 2521 Stadium Dr, St. Joseph, MI 49085, USA
- Freshwater Solutions LLC, 137 W 15th St, Holland, MI 49423, USA
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 357F South Academic Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 1C9
| | - B. A. McPhail
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 357F South Academic Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 1C9
| | - M. D. Ostrowski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, 118 Library Dr, Rochester Hills, MI 48309, USA
| | - R. L. Reimink
- Freshwater Solutions LLC, 137 W 15th St, Holland, MI 49423, USA
- Office of Campus Ministries, Hope College, Holland, MI 49423, USA
| | - D. Romano
- Department of Biology, University of Dallas, 1845 E. Northgate Dr, Irving, TX 75062, USA
| | - S. P. Rudko
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Agence de la Santé Publique du Canada, 200 René-Lévesque Blvd., Montréal, Québec, Canada H2Z 1X4
| | - P. C. Hanington
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 357F South Academic Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 1C9
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hanington PC. ACCEPTANCE OF THE 2022 HENRY BALDWIN WARD MEDAL: A BIFURCATED TALE OF SCHISTOSOMES AND SNAILS. J Parasitol 2022; 108:671-674. [PMID: 36577002 DOI: 10.1645/22-88] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick C Hanington
- University of Alberta School of Public Health, 3-57F South Academic Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G7, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Stanicka A, Cichy A, Bulantová J, Labecka AM, Ćmiel AM, Templin J, Horák P, Żbikowska E. Thinking "outside the box": The effect of nontarget snails in the aquatic community on mollusc-borne diseases. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 845:157264. [PMID: 35820526 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
There is a great need to understand the impact of complex communities on the free-living parasite stages that are part of them. This task becomes more complex as nonnative species emerge, changing existing relationships and shaping new interactions in the community. A relevant question would be: Can the coexistence of nontarget snails with the target hosts contribute to trematodasis control? We used field and experimental approaches to investigate nonnative competitor-induced parasite dilution. During a three-year field study, we investigated digenean infection in Lymnaea stagnalis from eight Polish lakes inhabited or uninhabited by Potamopyrgus antipodarum. Additionally, we verified the presence of digenean infections in the populations of P. antipodarum. Moreover, we conducted an experimental infection of L. stagnalis with miracidia of Trichobilharzia szidati under increasing densities of P. antipodarum and aimed to infect P. antipodarum with them separately. The prevalence of avian schistosomes in lymnaeid snails was significantly higher in uninhabited lakes than in lakes inhabited by P. antipodarum. Our study indicates that waters with a higher density of invaders have a lower prevalence of avian schistosomes in lymnaeid hosts. The results of experimental studies confirmed that the presence of high densities of P. antipodarum reduces the probability of target host infection. Both field and experimental studies rule out the role of P. antipodarum as a source of avian schistosome cercariae. Here, a nonnative species was tested as a diluter, which in practice may be harmful to the local environment. This work is not a call for the introduction of nonnative species; it is intended to be a stimulus for researchers to continue searching for natural enemies of parasites because, as our results show, they exist. Finding natural enemies to the most dangerous species of human and animal parasites that will pose no threat to the local environment could be groundbreaking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Stanicka
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland.
| | - Anna Cichy
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Jana Bulantová
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44 Prague, Czechia
| | - Anna Maria Labecka
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Adam Marcin Ćmiel
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, al. A. Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
| | - Julita Templin
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Petr Horák
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44 Prague, Czechia
| | - Elżbieta Żbikowska
- Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Parasitology, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
The Tails of Two Avian Schistosomes: Paired Exposure Study Demonstrates Trichobilharzia stagnicolae Penetrates Human Skin More Readily than a Novel Avian Schistosome from Planorbella. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11060651. [PMID: 35745505 PMCID: PMC9228815 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11060651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel schistosome from Planorbella snails currently known as avian schistosomatid sp. C (ASC) was recently described as being capable of causing the papules associated with swimmer’s itch. We conducted a paired study with 24 human volunteers, exposing each of their forearms to five drops of water containing cercariae of ASC or Trichobilharzia stagnicolae, and examined the skin for papules 1–3 days later. A mixed effects model showed that only the parasite species significantly affected the number of papules, while prior experimental exposure, swimming history, and swimmer’s itch experience did not. The total number of papules produced by the two species were very different: ASC produced a total of 2 papules from the 298 cercariae used, compared to 49 papules from 160 T. stagnicolae cercariae, a difference factor of more than 43X, which was comparable to the odds ratio of 45.5 computed using the statistical model. A well-known agent of swimmer’s itch, T. stagnicolae, is able to penetrate human skin more frequently than ASC, likely meaning that ASC is only a minor cause of swimmer’s itch where T. stagnicolae is present. We also completed limited experiments that compared the cercarial behavior of the two species in vitro and in situ. A known stimulant of schistosome cercarial penetration, α-linolenic acid, did not stimulate ASC cercariae to initiate penetration-associated behaviors as frequently as T. stagnicolae. However, when placed on esophageal tissue of the known vertebrate host for ASC, Canada goose (Branta canadensis), ASC cercariae were observed penetrating the esophageal epithelium quickly, whereas T. stagnicolae cercariae did not exhibit any penetration behaviors.
Collapse
|
8
|
Loker ES, DeJong RJ, Brant SV. Scratching the Itch: Updated Perspectives on the Schistosomes Responsible for Swimmer's Itch around the World. Pathogens 2022; 11:587. [PMID: 35631108 PMCID: PMC9144223 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11050587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Although most studies of digenetic trematodes of the family Schistosomatidae dwell on representatives causing human schistosomiasis, the majority of the 130 identified species of schistosomes infect birds or non-human mammals. The cercariae of many of these species can cause swimmer's itch when they penetrate human skin. Recent years have witnessed a dramatic increase in our understanding of schistosome diversity, now encompassing 17 genera with eight more lineages awaiting description. Collectively, schistosomes exploit 16 families of caenogastropod or heterobranch gastropod intermediate hosts. Basal lineages today are found in marine gastropods and birds, but subsequent diversification has largely taken place in freshwater, with some reversions to marine habitats. It seems increasingly likely that schistosomes have on two separate occasions colonized mammals. Swimmer's itch is a complex zoonotic disease manifested through several different routes of transmission involving a diversity of different host species. Swimmer's itch also exemplifies the value of adopting the One Health perspective in understanding disease transmission and abundance because the schistosomes involved have complex life cycles that interface with numerous species and abiotic components of their aquatic environments. Given the progress made in revealing their diversity and biology, and the wealth of questions posed by itch-causing schistosomes, they provide excellent models for implementation of long-term interdisciplinary studies focused on issues pertinent to disease ecology, the One Health paradigm, and the impacts of climate change, biological invasions and other environmental perturbations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric S. Loker
- Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology, Parasites Division, Museum of Southwestern Biology, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA;
| | - Randall J. DeJong
- Department of Biology, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, USA;
| | - Sara V. Brant
- Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology, Parasites Division, Museum of Southwestern Biology, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
McPhail BA, Froelich K, Reimink RL, Hanington PC. Simplifying Schistosome Surveillance: Using Molecular Cercariometry to Detect and Quantify Cercariae in Water. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11050565. [PMID: 35631086 PMCID: PMC9146278 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11050565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian schistosomes are considered a public health nuisance due to their ability to cause swimmer’s itch when accidentally encountering humans rather than their intended avian hosts. Researchers have been monitoring their presence and abundance through snail collections and cercariometry. Cercariometry methods have evolved over the last several decades to detect individual schistosome species from a single water sample, simplifying the monitoring of these parasites. This methodological evolution coincides with the development of the field of environmental DNA (eDNA) where genetic material is extracted from environmental samples, rather than individual organisms. While there are some limitations with using molecular cercariometry, notably the cost and its inability to differentiate between life cycle stages, it substantially reduces the labor required to study trematode populations. It also can be used in complement with snail collections to understand the composition of avian schistosomes in an environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brooke A. McPhail
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 357 South Academic Building, 116 St. and 85th Ave., Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (B.A.M.); (K.F.)
| | - Kelsey Froelich
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 357 South Academic Building, 116 St. and 85th Ave., Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (B.A.M.); (K.F.)
- Freshwater Solutions LLC, 137 W 15th St., Holland, MI 49423, USA;
- Saint Joseph High School, 2521 Stadium Dr., Saint Joseph, MI 49085, USA
| | - Ronald L. Reimink
- Freshwater Solutions LLC, 137 W 15th St., Holland, MI 49423, USA;
- Office of Campus Ministries, 110 E. 12th St. Hope College, Holland, MI 49423, USA
| | - Patrick C. Hanington
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 357 South Academic Building, 116 St. and 85th Ave., Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada; (B.A.M.); (K.F.)
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|