Trematode sporocyst and rickettsia weighted prevalences were found to be extremely high in Gulf of Mexico petroleum seep mussels, Bathymodiolus childressi, in comparison to shallow-water mytilids. Understanding the role that parasites might play in mussel population dynamics and health requires an understanding of the rapidity with which parasite infections and physiological condition respond to changes in host population structure and environment. To evaluate the influence of the seep environment on B. childressi, a transplant experiment was conducted between several donor (population of origin) and receiver (population of transplant) populations from three seep sites on the continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico. Donor and receiver populations varied significantly in prevalence and infection intensity for many parasites and often varied in physiological condition for most physiological indices. Transplanted populations came into equilibrium with the receiver populations relatively fast for single-celled parasites; trematode sporocysts responded less often and more slowly. In a few cases, these transplanted populations retained the donor population condition, most frequently for the trematode sporocysts and rarely for the single-celled parasites. Of the physiological indices, gonadal stage came into equilibrium with all receiver populations in one year. Mussels lost condition rapidly in cases where the receiver population had lower condition but gained condition more slowly in the opposite case. Digestive gland atrophy and gill tissue atrophy responded rapidly in most cases where the transplanted mussels varied initially from the receiver populations. Transmission rates could be approximated from changes in prevalence for gill rickettsia and the trematode sporocysts. For gill rickettsia, transmission rates varied between 0.36 and 0.45 yr⁻¹. Loss rates were much higher, estimated at 1.95 yr⁻¹, suggesting a short life span for any individual rickettsial body and that infection intensity is a balance between rapid rates of proliferation and loss. Transmission rates for the trematodes, likewise approximated, were slower: 0.13 to 0.29 yr⁻¹; nevertheless, infection intensification was rapid, in one case reaching 3 on a 0-to-4-point semiquantitative scale in one year. Apparent loss rates were minimal in one case but reached 1.25 yr⁻¹ in another. Mussels live for a relatively long time and the transmission rates measured for the trematode sporocysts are relatively high, yet population prevalences are often well below 100%. One possibility is that these trematode sporocysts have life spans considerably shorter than their hosts, a fact that is of some consequence because while infected, the mussels lose any capacity to reproduce. The alternative is that infected mussels have a relatively high mortality rate.

与浅水类til虫相比，在墨西哥湾的石油渗出贻贝，Bathymodiolus childressi中发现了吸虫性孢子囊和立克次体的加权患病率极高。要了解寄生虫在贻贝种群动态和健康中可能发挥的作用，就需要了解寄生虫感染和生理状况对宿主种群结构和环境变化的响应速度。评估渗水环境对B. childressi的影响，在来自墨西哥湾大陆坡的三个渗漏点的几个供体（起源种群）和接受者（移植种群）种群之间进行了移植实验。对于许多寄生虫，供体和受体群体的患病率和感染强度均存在显着差异，而对于大多数生理指标而言，其生理状况通常也存在差异。对于单细胞寄生虫，移植种群与接收种群的平衡相对较快。吸虫的孢子囊反应较不频繁，反应较慢。在少数情况下，这些移植种群保留了供体种群的状况，最常见的是吸虫的孢子囊肿，很少是单细胞寄生虫。在生理指标中，性腺阶段在一年内与所有接收者群体达到平衡。在接收者种群状况较低的情况下，贻贝会迅速丧失状况，而在相反情况下，贻贝的状况则较慢。在大多数情况下，移植贻贝最初与受体种群不同时，消化腺萎缩和g组织萎缩反应迅速。传播率可以根据g立克次氏体和吸虫性孢子囊的发生率变化来估算。对于g立克次氏体，传播速率在0.36和0.45 yr ^-1之间变化。损失率要高得多，估计为1.95 yr ^-1，这表明任何立克次体的寿命都很短，并且感染强度是快速增殖和损失之间的平衡。同样近似的，吸虫的传输速率较慢：0.13至0.29 yr ^-1；但是，感染的加剧迅速，有一个病例在一年中以0到4点半定量的比例达到了3例。在一种情况下，表观损失率极小，但达到1.25年^-1在另一个。贻贝生存时间相对较长，测得的吸虫孢子囊的传播率相对较高，但种群患病率通常远低于100％。一种可能性是这些吸虫的孢子囊的寿命比它们的宿主短得多，这是有一定意义的，因为贻贝在被感染时会失去任何繁殖能力。替代方案是受感染的贻贝的死亡率较高。