Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41803202›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Large-scale distribution of cestode infections in wild gentoo penguins and their impact on the host microbiome.

Chloe Kaczvinsky, Hila Levy, Stephen Preston, Casey Youngflesh, Gemma Clucas, Heather J Lynch, Maria D Christodoulou, Tom Hart, Adrian L Smith

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Chloe KaczvinskyDepartment of Biology, Medawar Building, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK.
Hila LevyU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, Washington, DC, 20240, USA.
Stephen PrestonDepartment of Biology, Medawar Building, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK.
Casey YoungfleshDepartment of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6343-3311
Gemma ClucasCornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.
Heather J LynchDepartment of Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
Maria D ChristodoulouDepartment of Statistics, University of Oxford, 24-29 St Giles', Oxford, OX1 3LB, UK.
Tom HartDepartment of Biology, Medawar Building, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK. t.hart@brookes.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4527-5046
Adrian L SmithDepartment of Biology, Medawar Building, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK. adrian.smith@biology.ox.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2802-2976

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Intestinal helminths often cause chronic infections, which can impact health and productivity, particularly when combined with other stressors including the environmental challenges faced by polar species. Here we employed a faecal DNA amplicon-sequencing-based approach to study on the epidemiology of tapeworms (Cestoda) in gentoo penguins sampled from colonies within the Scotia Arc. Overall, 325 faecal samples were collected from gentoo penguins at 25 locations and screened for cestode sequences within a pan-eukaryote 18S DNA profile. Four different core groups of sequences were identified as frequently occurring in the dataset, which likely represent different species or groups of cestodes. The proportion of cestode DNA reads was highly variable, displaying an over-dispersed distribution. The proportion of cestode DNA correlated with differences in microbiome composition, suggesting that these infections may influence gut microbiota or vice versa, with broader consequences for penguin health and resilience. This study highlights the need for a comprehensive understanding of both direct and indirect effects of helminths on individual and population health.

Indexed as

Bird DiseasesCestodaCestode InfectionsGastrointestinal MicrobiomeMicrobiotaSpheniscidaeAnimalsFeces

Identifiers

PMID41803202
PMCPMC12979784

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.