Echinostomes in the wild

Abstract

Echinostomes are closely related to wildlife and occasionally have been found to infect domestic animals. The low specificity of some species results in a large number of invertebrate and vertebrate hosts acting as natural hosts, and a large geographic distribution has been recorded. The zoonotic potential of echinostomes has been related to the ingestion of raw mollusks, fishes, and amphibians which are naturally found parasitized by these parasitic larvae. The identification of new natural hosts and the demonstration of their life cycles under experimental conditions have favored the understanding of biological variables involved in parasite transmission and may be useful predictors of human infection. The impact of echinostome parasitism in wildlife conservation needs more attention, since most of the known natural hosts are wild animals. The introduction or spread of echinostome species in new environments may imply a loss of biodiversity and increase the probability of new cases of zoonoses. Human behavior and the expansion of land use in a global context help to bring about changes in climate and induce new interfaces between humans and wildlife. Trade among nations and the exchange of new ideas and customs increase our concern about the spread and emergence of etiologic agents of animal and human diseases. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009. All rights reserved.