Helminth Communities in Amphibian and Reptile Hosts

Helminths constitute a diverse assemblage of parasitic worms—including nematodes, trematodes, cestodes and acanthocephalans—that infect amphibians and reptiles worldwide. These host–parasite systems exhibit intricate patterns of specificity, life-cycle complexity and community structure, shaped by host ecology, phylogeny and environmental context. Amphibian hosts often harbour both direct-cycle nematodes that rely solely on the host for transmission and heteroxenous trematodes requiring aquatic or invertebrate intermediate hosts. Reptilian helminth fauna similarly spans a spectrum from lizard specialists with narrow host ranges to generalists shared among sympatric species. The richness and composition of helminth communities reflect host foraging strategy, habitat use and geographical distribution. Investigations into infracommunities (all parasites within an individual) and component communities (all parasites within a host population) illuminate the role of biotic and abiotic drivers—from microhabitat features to land-use change—in modulating infection patterns. Understanding these dynamics contributes to amphibian and reptile conservation, informs predictions of disease emergence and offers indicators of ecosystem health.

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Helminth Communities in Amphibian and Reptile Hosts publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in helminth communities in amphibian and reptile hosts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Helminth: Collective term for parasitic worms including nematodes, trematodes, cestodes and acanthocephalans.

Infracommunity: The assemblage of all parasite species within a single individual host.

Component community: The full suite of parasite species found within a host population of one species.

Heteroxenous life cycle: A parasite life cycle requiring more than one host species to complete development.

Direct life cycle: A parasite life cycle completed within a single host species, with transmission typically via environmental stages.

Paratenic host: A transport host in which a parasite does not develop further but remains infective to the definitive host.

References

1. Nematodes of Amphibians from the South American Chaco: Distribution, Host Specificity and Ecological Aspects. Diversity (2021).
2. Diversity of helminths in polish reptiles: a review. Biologia (2019).
3. Helminth communities from amphibians inhabiting agroecosystems in the Pampean Region (Argentina). Revue Suisse de Zoologie (2020).