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Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia... 2024The aim of this study was to record Centrorhynchus sp. associated with the exotic species Aquarana catesbeiana (bullfrog) in southern Brazil and to present a checklist...
The aim of this study was to record Centrorhynchus sp. associated with the exotic species Aquarana catesbeiana (bullfrog) in southern Brazil and to present a checklist of vertebrate hosts in South America. Twenty-nine adults and juveniles of A. catesbeiana were collected in Capão do Leão, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, between October 2019 and December 2020. We found 275 specimens of Centrorhynchus sp. cystacanths in the stomach musculature and coelomic cavity of 55.1% of hosts (16). There was no significant differences in the prevalence and mean intensity of infection with cystacanths when compared males and females of A. catesbeiana. The prevalence was significantly higher in adults than in juveniles. The checklist presents 106 species of vertebrate hosts and 14 taxa of Centrorhynchus recorded in nine South American countries. Avian were the main definitive hosts of Centrorhynchus spp. and snakes Dipsadidae, anurans Hylidae and Leptodactylidae the main paratenic hosts in South America. This is the first record of Centrorhynchus cystacanths in A. catesbeiana in the South America. The study provides tools to help understand the parasitic relationships between species of Centrorhynchus and A. catesbeiana and other hosts in areas where bullfrog have been introduced.
Topics: Animals; Anura; Female; Male; Checklist; Brazil; Acanthocephala; South America; Prevalence; Helminthiasis, Animal; Vertebrates; Birds; Snakes
PubMed: 38836808
DOI: 10.1590/S1984-29612024024 -
Folia Parasitologica Dec 2023Acanthocephalans are obligate endoparasites characterised by the presence of a proboscis with hooks, which are used to adhere and perforate the intestinal wall of their...
Acanthocephalans are obligate endoparasites characterised by the presence of a proboscis with hooks, which are used to adhere and perforate the intestinal wall of their hosts. Individuals of Echinorhynchus salobrensis Machado Filho, 1948 have been reported parasitising the piranhas Serrasalmus maculatus Kner and Serrasalmus marginatus Valenciennes in the upper Paraná River floodplain. Serrasalmus marginatus is considered non-native at this site, and its establishment occurred after the closure of the Itaipu Hydroelectric, which flooded a natural geographic barrier that separated two ecoregions in the Paraná River. Since they are phylogenetically close and have similar biological and ecological characteristics competition for resources caused the non-native species to become dominant over the native one. Considering the specificity of species of Echinorhynchus Zoega, 1776 in serrasalmids, we evaluated the distribution of E. salobrensis along the gastrointestinal tract of S. maculatus and S. marginatus from the upper Paraná River floodplain. All parasites indices of E. salobrensis were higher in the invasive host S. marginatus when compared to the native S. maculatus. There were no significant interaction effects between host species and sex, and host species and/or sex in the presence of the parasite. When we evaluated the effect of E. salobrensis parasitism on the different gut regions and accessory organs, total abundance was significant in the stomach and caecum organs, and in the first and second regions of the intestine. None of the analytical approaches tested showed an effect of the sex of the host or the sex of the parasite on the presence and abundance of the parasite in the gastrointestinal tract. Studies on acanthocephalan parasitism in fish in Brazil focus on fish farm. The fact that two species of selvage carnivorous fish present high rates of acanthocephalan parasitism, added to the fact that most studies with this group are on farmed fish fed with feed, only emphasise the need for continuity in studies of acanthocephalans in the parasitology of aquatic organisms.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Characiformes; Acanthocephala; Rivers; Parasites; Brazil
PubMed: 38168032
DOI: 10.14411/fp.2023.022 -
Turkiye Parazitolojii Dergisi Mar 2024Acanthocephaliasis is a zoonotic parasitic infection of vertebrates. The phylum Acanthocephala contains nearly 1500 acanthocephalan species. The Archiacanthocephala...
Acanthocephaliasis is a zoonotic parasitic infection of vertebrates. The phylum Acanthocephala contains nearly 1500 acanthocephalan species. The Archiacanthocephala class is observed in terrestrial habitats and usually has a large, spineless trunk. Acanthocephalans are parasitic worms that use insects as intermediate hosts in their two-host life cycles. Insects, millipedes, and crustaceans in terrestrial areas serve as intermediate hosts and birds and mammals as definitive hosts. Acanthocephalans collected from the red fox () found dead on the road to Sarıkamış-Kars in 1995 and stored in formaldehyde were kept in Ondokuz Mays University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Parasitology Laboratory Museum until 2023 after our parasitological study found an infected red fox with sp. This study provides the anatomy of the acanthocephalans and the laboratory practice necessary for a good and reliable diagnosis. This study reports a new species, sp., of acanthocephalan (thorny-headed worm) found in red foxes for Türkiye. On the basis of relevant articles, we have created a key to Acanthocephala species occurring in mammals.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Foxes; Acanthocephala; Turkey; Zoonoses; Arthropods
PubMed: 38449371
DOI: 10.4274/tpd.galenos.2023.92063 -
Data in Brief Aug 2023This dataset documents the diversity of eukaryotic endo- and epibiotic organisms from 612 host individuals of seven gammarid (Amphipoda) species () of native and...
Database on eukaryotic symbionts of native and invasive gammarids (Crustacea, Amphipoda) in the Baltic region of Poland with information on water parameters for sampling sites.
This dataset documents the diversity of eukaryotic endo- and epibiotic organisms from 612 host individuals of seven gammarid (Amphipoda) species () of native and invasive origin in the Baltic region of Poland. We identify 60 symbiotic species of nine phyla from 16 localities of freshwater and brackish habitats. Twenty-nine symbiotic species belonged to the Ciliophora, 12 to Apicomplexa, 8 to Microsporidia, 3 to Platyhelminthes, 2 to Acanthocephala, 2 to Nematoda, 2 to Rotifera, 1 to Choanozoa and 1 to Nematomorha. The material in this Data in Brief paper is composed of three Microsoft® Excel files. The first file represents the raw data on the number of individuals (infrapopulation size) of each eukaryotic symbiont taxa recorded in each host individual and location. The data set contains information on the assemblage of symbionts per host individual in one table-matrix; macro- (host) and symbiont taxa name, host length, the date of collection, the geographic coordinates and locality name in columns; and amphipod host specimens in lines. The second file reports the symbiont species list (the species breakdown by phyla in spreadsheets) with information on host species, sampling date, locality and geographic coordinates, infection site, obtained sequences (if the case), brief morphological characteristics and microphotographs. The third file reports measured water parameters, habitat features and host density per sample. We generate the present dataset to evaluate the richness, diversity, population and community features of symbiotic organisms in native and invasive gammarid hosts in Poland. Biological sciences: ParasitologyEnvironmental Science: Ecology; Hydrology and Water Quality.
PubMed: 37360672
DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2023.109308 -
International Journal For Parasitology.... Aug 2023The preservation of the world's biodiversity for future generations has been a global objective for many years, with the establishment of the International Union for...
The preservation of the world's biodiversity for future generations has been a global objective for many years, with the establishment of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species in 1964. However, the conservation of parasites is a more recent development and, due to the difficulty in obtaining data and studying some of the parasitic species, comes its own series of challenges. Using parasites of cyprinid hosts (one critically endangered, one endangered and three near threatened) collected from South Africa's Cape Fold freshwater ecoregion (CF) as a case study, this paper discusses the challenges and possible solutions for implementing a fish parasite conservation project. Novel data on the fish parasites (1819 metazoan parasite individuals, representing the Acanthocephala, Cestoda, Copepoda, Digenea, Monogenea and Nematoda) of the CF are provided from the five endemic hosts, (Peters, 1864), (Gilchrist et Thompson, 1913), (Barnard, 1938), (Barnard, 1938), and (Skelton, 1974). Conservation statuses for selected parasite taxa are also proposed based on the conservation statuses of the fish hosts, according to the Conservation Assessment Methodology for Animal Parasites (CAMAP).
PubMed: 37533698
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.07.003 -
Systematic Parasitology Dec 2023Species of genus Polymorphus Lühe, 1911 (Polymorphidae) are acanthocephalans found in fish-eating birds and waterfowl. Although found in many parts of the world,...
Description and molecular data for a new acanthocephalan parasite, Polymorphus circi n. sp. (Polymorphidae) from the Australasian harrier (Circus approximans Peale) in New Zealand.
Species of genus Polymorphus Lühe, 1911 (Polymorphidae) are acanthocephalans found in fish-eating birds and waterfowl. Although found in many parts of the world, including Australia, no records exist from New Zealand. Because of the largely aquatic intermediate host, Polymorphus species are rarely found in terrestrial birds of prey. During a study of the helminths of the Australasian harrier Circus approximans Peale specimens of Polymorphus were recovered that were found to be new to science. Polymorphus circi n. sp. is formally described and genetic sequence data presented. Specimens were distinguished from all other species by a combination of characters, including their proboscis hook arrangement (20-22 rows of 11-13 hooks), as well as absence of sexual dimorphism, trunk size, proboscis shape and egg size. These acanthocephalans were found in birds from areas with the potential to support freshwater, brackish or marine amphipods, but as yet the actual intermediate hosts are unknown.
Topics: Animals; Parasites; New Zealand; Species Specificity; Acanthocephala; Birds
PubMed: 37874424
DOI: 10.1007/s11230-023-10120-5 -
Brazilian Journal of Biology = Revista... 2023The tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) is a species of great economic importance for fish farming in the Brazilian Amazon, and acanthocephaliasis caused by...
In vitro culture and morphology of Neoechinorhynchus buttnerae (Eoacanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae) collected from the intestine of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) farmed in the Brazilian Amazon.
The tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) is a species of great economic importance for fish farming in the Brazilian Amazon, and acanthocephaliasis caused by Neoechinorhynchus buttnerae (Golvan 1956) represents an obstacle to its production due to it causing severe morphological damage to the intestinal mucosa, thus impairing the absorption of nutrients and causing weight loss in the fish. Therefore, the establishment of in vitro protocols for evaluation of anthelmintic drugs is the first step to development of effective measures for in vivo control of this endoparasite. The present study evaluated the in vitro survival of N. buttnerae maintained in Eagle's minimum essential medium under different culture conditions. Three assays were carried out to evaluate whether temperature, supplementation with the antibiotics penicillin and streptomycin, and culture medium replacement or no replacement would influence the motility and morphology of the acanthocephalans. The results of the Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that the use of culture in minimum essential medium together with penicillin and streptomycin prolonged the parasite's survival when kept at temperatures of 24 °C or 28 °C. We describe herein for first time an alternative protocol that is ideal for the in vitro culture of N. buttnerae. As such, this protocol ensures greater reliability in further in vitro studies with N. buttnerae.
Topics: Animals; Brazil; Reproducibility of Results; Aquaculture; Acanthocephala; Characiformes; Intestines; Penicillins; Streptomycin
PubMed: 37970905
DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.275748 -
Folia Parasitologica Sep 2023Illiosentis Van Cleave et Lincicome, 1939 initially included two species: Illiosentis furcatus Van Cleave et Lincicome, 1939 found in the West Atlantic from Cape Cod in...
Redescription of Illiosentis cetratus Van Cleave, 1945 (Acanthocephala: Illiosentidae) from Menticirrhus undulatus (Girard) in California, with notes on Illiosentis furcatus from Peru.
Illiosentis Van Cleave et Lincicome, 1939 initially included two species: Illiosentis furcatus Van Cleave et Lincicome, 1939 found in the West Atlantic from Cape Cod in Massachusetts, USA to northern Argentina and Illiosentis cetratus Van Cleave, 1945 with restricted distribution in the Pacific coast of southern California. We are reporting I. furcatus from Peru for the first time and describe a population of I. cetratus from the California corbina, Menticirrhus undulatus (Girard), from southern California. The proboscis hook formula was 14 longitudinal rows for I. furcatus of 18-23 hooks each compared to 16 rows of 19-24 hooks each reported by Van Cleave (1945). We complete the inadequate description of I. cetratus with new information on sexual differentiation in the length of the trunk, dorsal vs. ventral hooks, hook roots, trunk spines, two types of anterior recurved rooted hooks vs. posterior rootless straight hooks, measurements of dorsal and ventral hooks and spines, shape of hook roots, terminal position of the female gonopore, and of position of the cephalic ganglion at the anterior margin of the trunk. We also include new details of the reproductive system in both sexes including Saefftigen's pouch and cement gland ducts. We present new SEM and light microscope images. The Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA) shows a high level of sulfur in anterior, middle and posterior hooks in various hook sites, as well as spectra of hook tips with a higher relative concentration of sulfur compared to other hook sites. For the placement of I. cetratus, phylogenetic analysis of sequences of three molecular markers, 18S, 28S rRNA and mitochondrial cox 1 genes, was performed with other related available sequences. The resulting analysis illustrated that I. cetratus was nested within a separate clade along with species of two genera, Dentitruncus truttae Sinzar, 1955 and Neotegorhynchus cyprini Lisitsyna, Xi, Orosová, Barčák et Oros, 2022 represented our species of Illiosentis separate from species of Tegorhynchus Van Cleave, 1921 (as also according to the morphology) with which the Illiosentis species were previously synonymised.
Topics: Animals; Male; Female; Acanthocephala; Peru; Phylogeny; Helminthiasis, Animal; Fish Diseases; Perciformes; Sulfur
PubMed: 37933180
DOI: 10.14411/fp.2023.018 -
Parasitology Apr 2024A new species of , n. sp. is described using integrated morphological methods (light and scanning electron microscopy) and molecular techniques (sequencing and...
A new species of , n. sp. is described using integrated morphological methods (light and scanning electron microscopy) and molecular techniques (sequencing and analysing the nuclear 18S, ITS, 28S regions and mitochondrial 1 and 2 genes), based on specimens collected from the intestine of the northern tree shrew Anderson (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) in China. Phylogenetic analyses show that n. sp. is a sister to in the genus , and also challenge the systematic status of . n. sp. represents the third species reported from China.
Topics: Animals; Phylogeny; Tupaia; China; Acanthocephala; Helminthiasis, Animal; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; DNA, Helminth; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; Female; Male; RNA, Ribosomal, 28S; Intestines
PubMed: 38525532
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182024000271 -
Cells Feb 2024Acanthocephalans are dioecious parasites that gain sexual maturity in the alimentary canal of their definitive hosts (gnathostome vertebrates). This initial survey by...
Acanthocephalans are dioecious parasites that gain sexual maturity in the alimentary canal of their definitive hosts (gnathostome vertebrates). This initial survey by light and transmission electron microscopy was conducted on the functional organization of the ovarian balls and uterine bell in mature females and on Saefftigen's pouch and the copulatory bursa in males. We studied these structures via the example of (Palaeacanthocephala) in and , from the Province of Ferrara (Northern Italy). Our study confirms that the ovarian balls have surface microvilli and consist of a multinucleate supporting syncytium and a cellular region with oogonial syncytium, single germ cells, zygotes, and shelled eggs. Germ cells are embedded in the supporting syncytium. The ultrastructural features of these components and data on fertilization, shell formation, and release from the ovarian ball, alongside insights into the likely egg sorting function of the uterine bell, are provided. We also present light and electron microscopy observations of Saefftigen's pouch and a suggestion regarding its hydrostatic functioning in the eversion of the copulatory bursa.
Topics: Animals; Female; Male; Acanthocephala; Parasites; Microscopy, Electron; Zygote; Raptors
PubMed: 38391969
DOI: 10.3390/cells13040356