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The Effects of the Commercially Formulated Neonicotinoids Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam on the Survival of Infectious Stages of Two Trematode Parasites

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Abstract

Neonicotinoids are a popular class of systemic insecticides registered for use in over 120 countries. Recent global water surveys have found neonicotinoid insecticides in waterbodies adjacent to agricultural fields. The presence of neonicotinoids in surface waters raises the concern of the potential risk of exposure to non-target aquatic species, with relevance for both free-living and parasitic taxa. The susceptibility of aquatic free-living parasitic stages to the lethal effects of neonicotinoids may influence the prevalence and intensity of host infection, and their availability as prey for a variety of organisms (e.g., fish, invertebrates). We examined the effects of two commonly used neonicotinoids on the survival of free-living infectious stages (cercariae) from two trematode (flatworm) species (Diplostomum sp. and Haematoloechus sp.). We found that exposure to commercially formulated imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, individually and in a binary mixture, had no significant effect on cercarial survival for either species at environmentally relevant concentrations. Further study is required to understand if the ability of the surviving cercariae to infect the next host in their life cycle is compromised in the presence of neonicotinoids, or if host defenses are compromised, as changes in parasite infectivity or host susceptibility could influence infection dynamics and have community- and ecosystem-level implications.

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Acknowledgments

We thank France Maisonneuve and Eric Pelletier from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Laboratory Services at the National Wildlife Research Centre for the neonicotinoid chemical analyses.

Funding

Funding was provided by the Environment and Climate Change Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada

    Jillian L. M. Rohonczy & Nigel Waltho

  2. Department of Biology and Chemistry, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada

    Janet Koprivnikar

  3. National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada

    Stacey A. Robinson

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  1. Jillian L. M. Rohonczy
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Rohonczy, J.L.M., Koprivnikar, J., Waltho, N. et al. The Effects of the Commercially Formulated Neonicotinoids Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam on the Survival of Infectious Stages of Two Trematode Parasites. Water Air Soil Pollut 231, 125 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-020-04510-4

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