Publisher Summary This chapter describes the environmental factors that modify the survival and infectivity of eggs and the mechanisms and agents that are responsible for their dispersal. The infective pattern of a parasite within a host population is described by both the mean level of infection and its distribution within the population. The factors that influence the infective patterns of the parasites are parasite-related and host-related factors. The parasite-related factors influencing the infective pattern include the number of eggs and their distribution in the environment, whereas the host-related factors include natural and acquired resistance and the feeding behavior patterns. The infective pattern of taeniids in their intermediate hosts is determined by the complex interaction of parasite- and host-related factors. The variability in maturity within the egg population results in variation in infectivity. The stability of a biological system describes its ability to return to equilibrium after wide fluctuations in its population components. The overall stability of a host-parasite system is a product of the complex interaction of stabilizing and destabilizing forces. The factors that influence stability include inter alia, over dispersion of parasites within the host population, immunological response of the host, time delays in reproduction and transmission, and reproduction of the parasite within the host.

The West Coast Gold Rushes Philip Ross May

Citations

Hydatidosis and Cysticercosis: The Dynamics of Transmission