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Helminthologia Mar 2023A total of 72 specimens of (Kessler, 1857), (Pallas, 1814), and (Pallas, 1814) from four sampling sites along the Bulgarian section of the Danube River (Kudelin, Novo...
A total of 72 specimens of (Kessler, 1857), (Pallas, 1814), and (Pallas, 1814) from four sampling sites along the Bulgarian section of the Danube River (Kudelin, Novo selo, Koshava, and Kutovo), Northwestern Bulgaria were submitted to ecologohelminthological investigation. During the examination 6 species of helminths have been identified from 3 classes: Trematoda ( (Iwanitzky, 1928) Dollfus, 1960), Acanthocephala ( (Müller, 1780) Lühe, 1911; (Müller, 1776) Lühe, 1911; (Zoega in Müller, 1776) Porta, 1908) and Nematoda ( sp., Jägerskiöld, 1909). Ecological indices of the established endohelminth species were tracked. The four sampling sites from the Danube River are new habitats for the discovered endohelminth species of racer goby, monkey goby, and round goby. The three goby species are new host records: and for ; for , and sp. New species of helminths are found in the helminth fauna of the three studied species of gobies from the Danube River and the river basin ( of ) and in Bulgaria ( of ; , and sp. of ). The pathogenic species helminths for the fish and humans are found.
PubMed: 37305671
DOI: 10.2478/helm-2023-0008 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Apr 2023The phylum Acanthocephala is an important monophyletic group of parasites, with adults parasitic in the digestive tracts of all major vertebrate groups. Acanthocephalans...
The phylum Acanthocephala is an important monophyletic group of parasites, with adults parasitic in the digestive tracts of all major vertebrate groups. Acanthocephalans are of veterinary, medical, and economic importance due to their ability to cause disease in domestic animals, wildlife, and humans. However, the current genetic data for acanthocephalans are sparse, both in terms of the proportion of taxa surveyed and the number of genes sequenced. Consequently, the basic molecular phylogenetic framework for the phylum is still incomplete. In the present study, we reported the first complete mitochondrial genome from a representative of the family Pseudoacanthocephalidae Petrochenko, 1956. The mitogenome of (Shipley, 1903) is 14,056 bp in length, contains 36 genes (12 protein-coding genes (PCGs) (lacking ), 22 tRNA genes, and 2 rRNA genes ( and )) and two non-coding regions ( and ), and displayed the highest GC-skew in the order Echinorhynchida. Phylogenetic results of maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) using the amino acid sequences of 12 protein-coding genes in different models provided further evidence for the resurrection of the family Pseudoacanthocephalidae and also supported that the order Echinorhynchida is paraphyletic. A monophyletic clade comprising and suggests a close affinity between Pseudoacanthocephalidae and Cavisomatidae. Our phylogenetic analyses also showed that Polymorphidae has a closer relationship with Centrorhynchidae than Plagiorhynchidae in the monophyletic order Polymorphida.
PubMed: 37048513
DOI: 10.3390/ani13071256 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Mar 2023Fish are a source of high-quality protein with low cholesterol, but they are susceptible to parasitic infections, which have a significant impact on aquaculture, in...
Fish are a source of high-quality protein with low cholesterol, but they are susceptible to parasitic infections, which have a significant impact on aquaculture, in addition to their zoonotic potential. The present study estimated parasitic infections and evaluated the diversity of zoonotic parasites in freshwater Nile tilapia () in Assiut Governorate, Upper Egypt. A total of 300 samples were randomly collected from the Assiut Governorate. These fish were examined for both ectoparasites and endoparasites, followed by the experimental infection of mice with encysted metacercariae (EMC) for the retrieval of the adult worms. The overall prevalence of the variable parasites was 82% (246 of 300). Both ecto- and endoparasites were detected in 41% (123 of 300) of the examined fish. The identified ectoparasites were , , , and , in 5%, 4%, 22%, 6% and 4% of the fish, respectively. The endoparasites were trematodes 3%), nematodes (. 2%), acanthocephala ( 25%) and protozoa that included and spp., in 1% and 8% of fish, respectively. was detected in 2% of the examined fish. The overall prevalence of encysted metacercariae (EMC) was 95% (285 of 300), while infection with macroscopic EMC had a prevalence of 37% and microscopic EMC had a prevalence of 58%. The adult worms recovered from the experimental infections were and spp., which belong to the family . Collectively, these findings reflect the relatively high occurrence of parasites among the studied fish, confirming the necessity of strict measures to control infection.
PubMed: 36978630
DOI: 10.3390/ani13061088 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Apr 2023Crustacean amphipods serve as intermediate hosts for parasites and are at the same time sensitive indicators of environmental pollution in aquatic ecosystems. The extent...
Crustacean amphipods serve as intermediate hosts for parasites and are at the same time sensitive indicators of environmental pollution in aquatic ecosystems. The extent to which interaction with the parasite influences their persistence in polluted ecosystems is poorly understood. Here, we compared infections of Gammarus roeselii with two species of Acanthocephala, Pomphorhynchus laevis, and Polymorphus minutus, along a pollution gradient in the Rhine-Main metropolitan region of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Prevalence of P. laevis was very low at the unpolluted upstream reaches (P ≤ 3%), while higher prevalence (P ≤ 73%) and intensities of up to 9 individuals were found further downstream-close to an effluent of a large wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Co-infections of P. minutus and P. laevis occurred in 11 individuals. Highest prevalence of P. minutus was P ≤ 9% and one parasite per amphipod host was the maximum intensity recorded. In order to assess whether the infection affects survival in the polluted habitats, we tested the sensitivity of infected and uninfected amphipods towards the pyrethroide insecticide deltamethrin. We found an infection-dependent difference in sensitivity within the first 72 h, with an effect concentration (24 h EC) of 49.8 ng/l and 26.6 ng/l for infected and uninfected G. roeselii, respectively. Whereas final host abundance might partially explain the high prevalence of P. laevis in G. roeselii, the results of the acute toxicity test suggest a beneficial effect of acanthocephalan infection for G. roeselii at polluted sites. A strong accumulation of pollutants in the parasite could serve as a sink for pesticide exposure of the host. Due to the lack of a co-evolutionary history between parasite and host and a lack of behavioral manipulation (unlike in co-evolved gammarids), the predation risk by fish remains the same, explaining high local prevalence. Thus, our study exemplifies how organismic interaction can favor the persistence of a species under chemical pollution.
Topics: Animals; Amphipoda; Insecticides; Ecosystem; Host-Parasite Interactions; Acanthocephala; Crustacea; Pyrethrins
PubMed: 36897452
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26193-0 -
International Journal For Parasitology.... Aug 2022Human acanthocephaliasis is a rare parasitic zoonosis mainly caused by acanthocephalans belonging to the genera , , , , and . In the present paper, the juveniles of...
Human acanthocephaliasis is a rare parasitic zoonosis mainly caused by acanthocephalans belonging to the genera , , , , and . In the present paper, the juveniles of Yamaguti, 1939 collected from the northern fur seal (Linnaeus) (Mammalia: Carnivora) in Alaska, USA were precisely identified based on morphological characters and genetic data. Their detailed morphology was studied using light and, for the first time, scanning electron microscopy. The molecular characterization of the nuclear genes [small ribosomal subunit (18S) and large ribosomal subunit (28S)] and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (1) sequence data of are provided for the first time. Moreover, in order to clarify the phylogenetic relationships of the genus and the other genera in the family Polymorphidae, phylogenetic analyses were performed integrating different nuclear (18S + ITS+28S) and mitochondrial (1) sequence data using maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI). The phylogenetic results showed that has a sister relationship with , and also revealed that is sister to + . Our molecular phylogeny also indicated a possible host-switch pattern during the evolution of the polymorphid acanthocephalans. The ancestors of polymorphid acanthocephalans seem to have originally parasitized fish-eating waterfowl in continental habitats, then extended to fish-eating marine birds in brackish water and marine habitats, and finally, opportunistically infected the marine mammals.
PubMed: 35783070
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2022.06.003 -
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 -
Parasite (Paris, France) 2023The cytogenetics of Acanthocephala is a neglected area in the study of this group of endoparasites. Chromosome number and/or karyotypes are known for only 12 of the...
The cytogenetics of Acanthocephala is a neglected area in the study of this group of endoparasites. Chromosome number and/or karyotypes are known for only 12 of the 1,270 described species, and molecular cytogenetic data are limited to rDNA mapping in two species. The standard karyological technique and mapping of 18S rRNA and H3 histone genes on the chromosomes of Acanthocephalus anguillae individuals from three populations, one of which originated from the unfavorable environmental conditions of the Zemplínska Šírava reservoir in eastern Slovakia, were applied for the first time. All specimens had 2n = 7/8 (male/female); n = 1m + 1m-sm + 1a + 1a (X). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed three loci of 18S rDNA on two autosomes and dispersion of H3 histone genes on all autosomes and the X chromosome. In addition to the standard A chromosome set, 34% of specimens from Zemplínska Šírava possessed a small acrocentric B chromosome, which was always found to be univalent, with no pairing observed between the B chromosome and the A complement. The B chromosome had a small amount of heterochromatin in the centromeric and telomeric regions of the chromosomal arms and showed two clusters of H3 genes. It is well known that an environment permanently polluted with chemicals leads to an increased incidence of chromosomal rearrangements. As a possible scenario for the B chromosome origin, we propose chromosomal breaks due to the mutagenic effect of pollutants in the aquatic environment. The results are discussed in comparison with previous chromosome data from Echinorhynchida species.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Female; Male; Parasites; Histones; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Chromosome Mapping; Karyotype; Acanthocephala; DNA, Ribosomal
PubMed: 37870409
DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2023045 -
Helminthologia Mar 2023We describe a population of the acanthocephalan Johnston, 1937 (Polymorphidae) from a California sea lion (Lesson, 1828) in California using novel scanning electron...
Revision of Johnston, 1937 (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) from a North American population using novel SEM images, Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis, and molecular analysis.
We describe a population of the acanthocephalan Johnston, 1937 (Polymorphidae) from a California sea lion (Lesson, 1828) in California using novel scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, Energy Dispersive x-ray analysis (EDXA), and molecular analysis for the first time. The taxonomic history of is replete with accounts using only line drawings some of which proved erroneous. The distribution of ventral spines on the female trunk has been the primary distinction between and Lincicome, 1943, its junior synonym; being continuous in the latter but discontinuous posteriorly in the former species. The distribution of ventral spines is invariably discontinuous in males. Our redescription and SEM images help to resolve this issue further validating the synonymy. Morphological variability has been documented between our California population and others from various host species in California, South Australia, South Shetlands, and the Argentinian coast. Our SEM images document features not previously detectable in line drawings, erroneously reported or missed in previous accounts. The EDXA spectra show high levels of calcium and phosphorous and low levels of sulfur characteristic of EDXA for other species of Lühe, 1904 provide support for the diagnostic distinction of . EDXA spectra were shown to be species specific and have diagnostic value in the taxonomy of the Acanthocephala. Our molecular analysis used amplification of 18S of ribosomal DNA and cytochrome c oxidase 1 (Cox1) gene. Phylogenetic analyses for Cox1 gene revealed a close relationship between Zdzitowiecki, 1984 and The phylogenetic trees confirmed that the isolates belonged to . The haplotype network inferred by Cox1 with sequences revealed that haplotypes clearly separated from each other and formed clusters related to samples from the Northern Hemisphere (the USA and Mexico), and the second from the Southern Hemisphere (Argentina, Brazil and Peru).
PubMed: 37305667
DOI: 10.2478/helm-2023-0003 -
The Journal of Parasitology Jul 2021A précis of helminth parasite infections and a host-parasite checklist are presented for the following 14 species of waterfowl from the Chihuahua Desert in the United...
A précis of helminth parasite infections and a host-parasite checklist are presented for the following 14 species of waterfowl from the Chihuahua Desert in the United States and Mexico: Chen rossii, Chen caerulescens, Anas platyrhynchos, Anas diazi, Anas acuta, Anas strepera, Anas americana, Anas clypeata, Anas cyanoptera, Anas crecca, Bucephala albeola, Oxyura jamaicensis, Fulica americana, and Podiceps nigricollis. There was a total of 127 species of helminths recovered from the 14 species of waterfowl. Total abundance, which included data available for 12 species of waterfowl, was 134,202 (mean = 11,184, median = 1,376, and 95% confidence limit [CL] = 14,485). Mean species richness ranged from 1.5 in Ross's goose, C. rossii, to 4.3 in the bufflehead, B. albeola. Host mean abundance ranged from 7.5 in the Mexican duck, A. diazi, and green-winged teal, A. crecca, to a high of 811 for the ruddy duck, O. jamaicensis. Ninety-one percent of the helminth species were generalists. Most specialists were associated with the American coot, F. americana (7), and the eared grebe, P. nigricollis (5). Percent helminth species contribution was cestodes 45%, nematodes 25%, trematodes 22%, and acanthocephalans 8%. The most commonly occurring helminth species among the 14 host species were the trematode Notocotylus attenuatus (12), the cestode Cloacotaenia megalops (10), the acanthocephalan Corynosoma constrictum (9), and the nematode Capillaria anatis (6). Low ingestion of invertebrates may have contributed to the lower number of helminth species and abundance in wintering and spring dabbling ducks (Anatini). Wild dabbling ducks ranging in age from 6 mo to 8 yr and 8 mo were infected with helminth parasites. Helminth parasite data from resident and nesting hosts and pre-fledged young birds indicated as many as 43 helminth life cycles may be occurring in the Chihuahua Desert. Host-parasite species checklists are included.
Topics: Acanthocephala; Animals; Bird Diseases; Birds; Cestode Infections; Desert Climate; Ducks; Female; Geese; Helminthiasis, Animal; Male; Mexico; Nematode Infections; Southwestern United States; Trematode Infections
PubMed: 34358313
DOI: 10.1645/19-41 -
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