Dispersal of the parasitic ciliate Lambornella clarki: implications for ciliates in the biological control of mosquitoes

Abstract

Lambornella clarki (Ciliophora: Tetrahymenidae), an endoparasite of Aedes sierrensis (Diptera: Culicidae), is dispersed by infected adult mosquitoes. Invasion of the ovaries induces parasitically castrated females to exhibit oviposition behavior and thereby actively disperse ciliates through deposition into water. Oviposition behavior of infected females is prolonged and mimics that of normal gravid females in their first gonotropic cycle. Adults of both sexes also passively disperse ciliates by dying on water surfaces, and infected adults are more likely to die on water than uninfected adults. Ciliates dispersed by infected adults can infect larvae and form desiccation-resistant cysts. Parasite-induced dispersal by hosts, desiccation-resistant cysts, an active host-seeking infective stage, and high infection and mortality rates all indicate significant biological control potential for these and related ciliates against container-breeding mosquitoes.