Parasite transmission in size-structured populations.

ABSTRACT: Host heterogeneity can affect parasite transmission, but determining underlying traits and incorporating them into transmission models remains challenging. Body size is easily measured and affects numerous ecological interactions, including transmission. In the snail-schistosome system, larger snails have a higher exposure to parasites but lower susceptibility to infection per parasite. We quantified the effect of size-based heterogeneity on population-level transmission by conducting transmission trials in differently size-structured snail populations and competing size-dependent transmission models. Populations with greater proportions of large snails had lower prevalence, and small snails were shielded from infection by co-occurring large conspecifics. Furthermore, a fully dependent tra

SUBMITTER: Shaw KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10842837 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature