-
Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia... 2022The objective of this study was to investigate the parasites occurrences and to determine the rates of infestation/parasitic infection in juvenile Arapaima gigas from...
The objective of this study was to investigate the parasites occurrences and to determine the rates of infestation/parasitic infection in juvenile Arapaima gigas from seven fish farms in the state of Amazonas, relating to the characteristics of these fish farms. Of the 70 A. gigas evaluated, 43 were infested/infected, with a total of 133 parasites collected. Three fish farms (2, 4, 6) showed the highest levels of prevalence of parasites (100%, 70%, 70%), mean intensity (4.1±2.6, 8.1±9.2, and 2.1±1.3), and mean abundance (4.1±2.6, 5.7±8.1, and 1.5±1.5), respectively. Prevalence ranged from 30% to 100%, mean intensity from 1.0 to 8.1 and mean abundance from 0.3 to 5.7. Monogenea, Digenea, Nematoda (Hysterothylacium sp. and Spirocamallanus sp.) and Acanthocephala (Neoechinorhynchus sp. and Polyacanthorhynchus sp.) were identified. The parasites Hysterothylacium sp. and Neoechinorhynchus sp. were the most prevalent parasites with 31.43% and 15.71%, respectively. The fish presented negative allometry in growth and constant condition factor. Measures to prevent and control the parasitic diseases diagnosed are discussed as well prophylactic practices that contribute to the biosecurity of the farms.
Topics: Animals; Fisheries; Brazil; Fishes; Acanthocephala; Trematoda; Ascaridoidea; Parasites; Fish Diseases
PubMed: 36515319
DOI: 10.1590/S1984-29612022064 -
Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia... 2022Our aim was to assess endoparasite diversity and liver alterations in Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus (jeju) and Cichlasoma bimaculatum (acará preto) in a quilombola area...
Our aim was to assess endoparasite diversity and liver alterations in Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus (jeju) and Cichlasoma bimaculatum (acará preto) in a quilombola area in Maranhão, Brazil. For this, 21 H. unitaeniatus and 21 C. bimaculatum were caught in a natural environment and transported to a laboratory. After these had been euthanized, endoparasites were collected and identified. Liver alterations were evaluated histological analysis based on the severity of each lesion: stage I, organ functioning not compromised; stage II, more severe lesions that impair normal functioning of the organs; and stage III, very severe and irreversible lesions. Among the fish evaluated, 71.43% H. unitaeniatus and 61.90% C. bimaculatum were parasitized. Contracaecum sp. was found in both species; while acanthocephalans, only in H. unitaeniatus. The alterations were vacuolization, nucleus in the cell periphery, deformation of the cell outline, melanomacrophage center, hyperemia, cytoplasmic degeneration and nuclear vacuolization. Through calculating a histological alteration index, it was found that 26.19% of the specimens presented lesions in stage I; 38.09% lesions in stage II and 9.52% lesions in stage III. It was concluded that there is high prevalence of Contracaecum sp. and that the liver lesions may be adaptive responses by the fish to endoparasitic infection.
Topics: Acanthocephala; Animals; Brazil; Characiformes; Cichlids; Fish Diseases; Helminthiasis, Animal; Liver
PubMed: 35476008
DOI: 10.1590/S1984-29612022022 -
Iranian Journal of Parasitology 2020The raccoon, Linn. (Procyonidae) is native to North and Central America but has been introduced in several European and Asian countries including Japan, Germany and...
BACKGROUND
The raccoon, Linn. (Procyonidae) is native to North and Central America but has been introduced in several European and Asian countries including Japan, Germany and Iran. Objective of this study was to determine frequency of gastrointestinal and tissue helminthes from feral raccoons in Iran.
METHODS
During 2015-2017, 30 feral raccoons including 12 males and 18 females were collected from Guilan Province, northern Iran (the only region in Iran where raccoons are found). The gastrointestinal tracts and tissues such as lung, liver and muscles were examined for presence of helminthes.
RESULTS
Twenty raccoons (66.7%) were found infected with five intestinal helminth species. The prevalence of infection with Little, 1966 (Nematoda) was 63.3%, Ogata, 1938 (Trematoda) (13.3%), sp. Lühe, 1911 (Acanthocephala) (10.0%), Wolfgang, 1951 (Nematoda) (3.3%), and Rudolphi, 1809 (Nematoda) (3.3%). No larvae or adult worms were found in other tissues of the examined raccoons.
CONCLUSION
Most of the raccoons were infected with . The public health importance of zoonotic parasites transmittable through raccoons, the rapid control and decrease of raccoon populations and their distribution in Iran are also discussed.
PubMed: 32595714
DOI: No ID Found -
Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia... 2023The Helminthological Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute is the biggest in Latin America and it is among the largest collections at worldwide reference level, with...
The Helminthological Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute is the biggest in Latin America and it is among the largest collections at worldwide reference level, with around 40,000 sets of specimens and approximately one million individual specimens. It contains helminths parasites of vertebrate and invertebrate animals that form part of the fauna of Brazil and other countries. The samples comprise holotypes, paratypes and representative specimens of Platyhelminthes, Acanthocephala, Nematoda and other non-helminth phyla, such as Annelida and Arthropoda. Some of the samples preserved in liquid media were found to have dried out. This made it impossible to analyze these samples morphologically for taxonomic purposes. The aim of this study was to test techniques used for rehydration of the tegument of specimens that had been found to have dried out and present protocols for such techniques. A total of 528 specimens that either no longer were immersed in preservatives or had already dried out were analyzed: 96 digenetic trematodes, 45 cestodes, 22 acanthocephalans, 357 nematodes, four hirudineans and four pentastomid crustaceans. The technique of rehydration using only distilled water on the specimens proved to be efficient for recovering tegument malleability, for all samples analyzed in this present study.
Topics: Animals; Acanthocephala; Helminths; Nematoda; Platyhelminths; Trematoda
PubMed: 37098919
DOI: 10.1590/S1984-29612023021 -
Parasite (Paris, France) 2020Parasite communities in Caranx sexfasciatus were characterized and analyzed to determine any interannual variations in structure and/or species composition. In total,...
Parasite communities in Caranx sexfasciatus were characterized and analyzed to determine any interannual variations in structure and/or species composition. In total, 422 C. sexfasciatus were collected from Acapulco Bay, Mexico, between May 2016 and March 2019. Thirty-two taxa of metazoan parasites were identified: five Monogenea, thirteen Digenea, one Acanthocephala, one Cestoda, three Nematoda, seven Copepoda, and two Isopoda. Monogeneans were the most frequent and abundant parasite species in all sampling years. Parasite species richness at the component community level varied significantly from 8 (May 2016) to 25 (March 2019) and was similar to previous reports for other species of Carangidae. The component communities and infracommunities in C. sexfasciatus were characterized by low parasite species numbers, low diversity, and dominance of a single species (the monogenean Neomicrocotyle pacifica). Parasite community structure and species composition varied between sampling years and climatic seasons. Seasonal or local fluctuations in some biotic and abiotic environmental factors probably explain these variations.
Topics: Acanthocephala; Animals; Cestoda; Climate; Copepoda; Ecosystem; Fish Diseases; Mexico; Nematoda; Parasites; Perciformes; Seasons; Trematoda
PubMed: 32003324
DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2020001 -
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2022Dogs are very popular pets that can be infected with a wide diversity of endo- and ectoparasites, some of which have zoonotic potential. The aim of the present study was...
Dogs are very popular pets that can be infected with a wide diversity of endo- and ectoparasites, some of which have zoonotic potential. The aim of the present study was to determine the diversity and prevalence of helminths in rural and urban dogs in Tashkent, Samarkand and Karakalpakstan regions of Uzbekistan. A total of 399 dogs from rural and urban areas were examined by necropsy between November 2016 and March 2022. All helminth species were morphologically identified. A total of 31 species belonging to the classes Trematoda (3), Cestoda (9), Nematoda (18) and Acanthocephala (1) were identified in 378 dogs (94.7%). Twenty-one species are indicated for the helminth fauna of urban dogs and 31 species for rural dog populations. From the 31 species of helminths identified 18 species are zoonotic and four of them () have a significant epidemiological importance. The study showed that the prevalence and diversity of helminths in dogs in rural areas of Uzbekistan is higher than in urban dogs.
PubMed: 36297142
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11101085 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jun 2023Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are resistant to breakdown and are now considered ubiquitous and concerning contaminants. Although scientific and legislative...
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are resistant to breakdown and are now considered ubiquitous and concerning contaminants. Although scientific and legislative interest in these compounds has greatly increased in recent decades, our knowledge about their environmental fate and their effects on organisms is still incomplete, especially those of the new generation PFAS. In this study, we analysed the level of PFAS contamination in the fish fauna of the Po River, the most important waterway in Italy, to evaluate the influence of different factors (such as fish ecological traits and parasitism) on the accumulation of 17 PFAS. After solvent extraction and purification, hepatic or intestinal tissues from forty specimens of bleak, channel catfish, and barbel were analysed by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LOQ = 2.5 ng/g w.w.). The prevalent PFAS were perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), present in all samples at the highest concentration (reaching a maximum of 126.4 ng/g and 114.4 ng/g in bleak and channel catfish, respectively), and long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFDA and PFUnDA). Perfluorooctanoic acid and new generation PFAS (Gen X and C6O4) were not detected. Comparison of the hepatic contamination between the benthic channel catfish and the pelagic bleak showed similar concentrations of PFOS (p > 0.05) but significantly higher concentrations of other individual PFAS and of the sum of all measured PFAS (p < 0.05) in bleak. No correlation was found between the hepatic level of PFAS and fish size in channel catfish. For the first time, PFAS partitioning in a parasite-fish system was studied: intestinal acanthocephalans accumulated PFOS at lower levels than the intestinal tissue of their host (barbel), in contrast to what has been reported for other pollutants (e.g., metals). The infection state did not significantly alter the level of PFAS accumulation in fish, and acanthocephalans do not appear to be a good bioindicator of PFAS pollution.
Topics: Animals; Rivers; Environmental Monitoring; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Acanthocephala; Fluorocarbons; Ictaluridae; Alkanesulfonic Acids; Italy
PubMed: 36924966
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162828 -
Anais Da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias 2022Tambaqui is the second native fish most produced species in Brazil. Currently, tambaqui fish farms deals with serious sanitary problems due to the prevalence of the...
Tambaqui is the second native fish most produced species in Brazil. Currently, tambaqui fish farms deals with serious sanitary problems due to the prevalence of the parasite Neoechinorhynchus buttnerae. However, the prevalence of the acanthocephalan parasite infections depends on the resistance and tolerance interactions between the host organisms and parasites. The immune response against parasites is divided between innate and acquired immunity. The innate defense is a result of physical barriers, cellular and humoral compounds. Acquired defense occurs through the production of antibodies (humoral) and is mediated by cells, mainly by type 2 T helper lymphocytes. Most parasites secrete a variety of immunomodulatory compounds that allow coexistence with the host and chronicity of the parasite. The host-parasite relationship is complex and makes prevention and treatment difficult. However, some studies show that the use of immunostimulants may have "systemic" effects. These include improvement of the intestinal mucosa health and also in the production of cellular and humoral compounds in the whole body, thus assisting treatment and control. As such, it is important to understand the mechanisms of resistance and tolerance in the host organisms so that prevention and treatment measures can be effective.
Topics: Acanthocephala; Animals; Aquaculture; Characiformes; Fish Diseases; Parasites
PubMed: 35830072
DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202220210258 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... May 2024Native and invasive species often occupy similar ecological niches and environments where they face comparable risks from chemical exposure. Sometimes, invasive species...
Native and invasive species often occupy similar ecological niches and environments where they face comparable risks from chemical exposure. Sometimes, invasive species are phylogenetically related to native species, e.g. they may come from the same family and have potentially similar sensitivities to environmental stressors due to phylogenetic conservatism and ecological similarity. However, empirical studies that aim to understand the nuanced impacts of chemicals on the full range of closely related species are rare, yet they would help to comprehend patterns of current biodiversity loss and species turnover. Behavioral sublethal endpoints are of increasing ecotoxicological interest. Therefore, we investigated behavioral responses (i.e., change in movement behavior) of the four dominant amphipod species in the Rhine-Main area (central Germany) when exposed to the neonicotinoid thiacloprid. Moreover, beyond species-specific behavioral responses, ecological interactions (e.g. parasitation with Acanthocephala) play a crucial role in shaping behavior, and we have considered these infections in our analysis. Our findings revealed distinct baseline behaviors and species-specific responses to thiacloprid exposure. Notably, Gammarus fossarum exhibited biphasic behavioral changes with hyperactivity at low concentrations that decreased at higher concentrations. Whereas Gammarus pulex, Gammarus roeselii and the invasive species Dikerogammarus villosus, showed no or weaker behavioral responses. This may partly explain why G. fossarum disappears in chemically polluted regions while the other species persist there to a certain degree. But it also shows that potential pre-exposure in the habitat may influence behavioral responses of the other amphipod species, because habituation occurs, and potential hyperactivity would be harmful to individuals in the habitat. The observed responses were further influenced by acanthocephalan parasites, which altered baseline behavior in G. roeselii and enhanced the behavioral response to thiacloprid exposure. Our results underscore the intricate and diverse nature of responses among closely related amphipod species, highlighting their unique vulnerabilities in anthropogenically impacted freshwater ecosystems.
PubMed: 38801881
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124235 -
Parasitology Apr 2022The taxonomy of the 10 recognized species associated with emydid turtles is complex due to the morphological conservatism. In the present study, specimens of from...
Phenotypic plasticity, genetic structure, and systematic position of Fisher, 1960 (Acanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae) a parasite of emydid turtles from the Nearctic and Neotropical regions.
The taxonomy of the 10 recognized species associated with emydid turtles is complex due to the morphological conservatism. In the present study, specimens of from northern and southeastern Mexico exhibit great phenotypic plasticity on its diagnostic characteristics. We sequenced three molecular markers: the internal transcribed spacers ITS1, ITS2 and 5.8S gene, the D2 + D3 domains of the large subunit from nuclear DNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I () from mitochondrial DNA. Sequences of the nuclear molecular markers were aligned and compared with other congeneric species associated with emydids available in GenBank. Phylogenetic analyses supported the polyphyly of . The species from emydids formed a clade, which was subdivided into five subclades that correspond with each species analysed (, , , and ). To understand better the genetic structure of a haplotype network was inferred with 29 sequences, revealing the presence of 13 haplotypes, two of which were shared and 11 were unique. The high values of fixation index, (0.4227–0.8925) detected between the two populations from southeastern and the two from northern Mexico indicated low genetic flow among the populations. Our data suggest that the species associated with emydid turtles diversified in the eastern USA and that of expanded its distribution range reached southeastern Mexico.
PubMed: 35437127
DOI: 10.1017/S003118202200049X