Host-parasites transfer of micropollutants and eco-physiological consequences on a freshwater fish : case study of chub-acanthocephalan model

Overview & Synopsis

Exposure to complex mixtures of environmental contaminants may have severe consequences in free-living. Under natural conditions, organisms are also exposed to other stressors, including parasites. Both chemical exposure and parasite infection have been well studied and documented, but have in many cases been investigated independently from one another. However, it is crucial to simultaneously assess their combined effect on wild organisms given that parasites may interfere with the fate of environmental contaminants within their host through their bioaccumulation capacity. Based on a field study, completed by an experimental approach, I investigated the fate and consequences of six families of organic contaminants, and some of their metabolites, in a host-parasite system composed of a freshwater fish, the European chub, Squalius cephalus, and its intestinal parasite, Pomphorhynchus sp. from the Marne River, France. Specifically, I investigated whether intestinal parasites were able to accumulate toxicants and how their presence affected the stress response of their definitive host exposed to environmental contaminants, at different biological levels with the use of general biomarkers (telomere, lysozyme, peroxidase, antioxidants, oxidative damage, gut microbiota, Fulton’s index and hepatosomatic index). Importantly, we demonstrated that intestinal worms were able to accumulate organic contaminants, detoxify their hosts and that their effects on the host shifted from negative to positive as chemical exposure increased.