The Amazon basin has the largest number of fish in the world, and among the most common fishes of the Neotropical region, the threespot (Leporinus friderici) is cited, which in relation to its microparasitic fauna, has described only 1 species of the genus Henneguya, Henneguya friderici. The Myxozoa class is considered an obligate parasite, being morphologically characterized by spores formed by valves connected by a suture line. This study describes a new species of Henneguya sp. in the Amazon region for L. friderici. This parasite was found in the host's pyloric caeca and caudal kidney, with mature spores with a total spore length of 38.4 ± 2.5 (35.9–40.9) μm; the spore body 14.4 ± 1.1 (13.3–15.5) μm and 7.3 ± 0.6 (6.7–7.9) μm wide. Regarding its 2 polar capsules, they had a length of 5.1 ± 0.4 (4.7–5.5) μm and a width of 2.0 ± 0.1 (1.9–2.1) μm in the same pear-shaped, and each polar capsule contained 9–11 turns. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses denote that this is a new species of the genus Henneguya.

Helminthes have the capacity to modulate host immunity, leading to positive interactions with coinfecting microparasites. This phenomenon has been primarily studied during coinfections with a narrow range of geo-helminthes and intracellular microparasites in human populations or under laboratory conditions. Far less is known regarding differences in coinfection dynamics between helminth types, the range of microparasites that might be affected or the overall community-level effects of helminth infections on microparasites in wild systems. Here, we analysed the presence/absence and abundance patterns of enteric parasites in long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) on the island of Bali, Indonesia, to assess whether naturally occurring helminth infections were associated with increased shedding of the most common intracellular (Cryptosporidium spp., Isospora spp.) and extracellular (Entamoeba spp., Giardia spp.) microparasites. We also comparatively assessed the statistical correlations of different helminth taxa with microparasite shedding to determine if there were consistent relationships between the specific helminth taxa and microparasites. Helminth infections were associated with increased shedding of both intracellular and extracellular microparasites. Platyhelminthes repeatedly displayed strong positive correlations with several microparasites; while nematodes did not. Our results indicate that helminthes can influence microparasite community shedding dynamics under wild conditions, but that trends may be driven by a narrow range of helminthes.

Dung beetles are detrivorous insects that feed on and reproduce in the fecal material of vertebrates. This dependency on vertebrate feces implies frequent contact between dung beetles and parasitic helminths with a fecal component to their life-cycle. Interactions between dung beetles and helminths carry both positive and negative consequences for successful parasite transmission, however to date there has been no systematic review of dung beetle-helminth interactions, their epidemiological importance, or their underlying mechanisms. Here we review the observational evidence of beetle biodiversity–helminth transmission relationships, propose five mechanisms by which dung beetles influence helminth survival and transmission, and highlight areas for future research. Efforts to understand how anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity may influence parasite transmission must include the development of detailed, mechanistic understanding of the multiple interactions between free-living and parasitic species within ecological communities. The dung beetle–helminth system may be a promising future model system with which to understand these complex relationships.