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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 -
International Journal For Parasitology May 2023Dispersal of alien species is a global problem threatening native biodiversity. Co-introduction of non-native parasites and pathogens adds to the severity of this...
Dispersal of alien species is a global problem threatening native biodiversity. Co-introduction of non-native parasites and pathogens adds to the severity of this threat, but this indirect impact has received less attention. To shed light on the key factors determining the richness of microorganisms in native and invasive host species, we compared symbiotic (parasitic and epibiotic) communities of gammarids across different habitats and localities along the Baltic coast of Poland. Seven gammarid species, two native and five invasive, were sampled from 16 freshwater and brackish localities. Sixty symbiotic species of microorganisms of nine phyla were identified. This taxonomically diverse species assemblage of symbionts allowed us to assess the effect of host translocation and regional ecological determinants driving assembly richness in the gammarid hosts. Our results revealed that (i) the current assemblages of symbionts of gammarid hosts in the Baltic region are formed by native and co-introduced species; (ii) species richness of the symbiotic community was higher in the native Gammarus pulex than in the invasive hosts, probably reflecting a process of species loss by invasive gammarids in the new area and the distinct habitat conditions occupied by G. pulex and invasive hosts; (iii) both host species and locality were key drivers shaping assembly composition of symbionts, whereas habitat condition (freshwater versus brackish) was a stronger determinant of communities than geographic distance; (iv) the dispersion patterns of the individual species richness of symbiotic communities were best described by Poisson distributions; in the case of an invasive host, the dispersion of the rich species diversity may switch to a right-skewed negative binomial distribution, suggesting a host-mediated regulation process. We believe this is the first analysis of the symbiotic species richness in native and invasive gammarid hosts in European waters based on original field data and a broad range of taxonomic groups including Microsporidia, Choanozoa, Ciliophora, Apicomplexa, Platyhelminthes, Nematoda, Nematomorha, Acanthocephala and Rotifera, to document the patterns of species composition and distribution.
Topics: Animals; Amphipoda; Parasites; Microsporidia; Ecosystem; Platyhelminths; Introduced Species; Host-Parasite Interactions; Crustacea
PubMed: 37004736
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.02.006 -
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 -
Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia... 2023European hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus (Linnaeus, 1758), are small mammals found in western Europe and also in parts of northern Europe. They can be seen in rural,...
European hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus (Linnaeus, 1758), are small mammals found in western Europe and also in parts of northern Europe. They can be seen in rural, suburban and urban areas, but are usually found in grassland with edge habitats. These animals are omnivorous and serve as definitive or paratenic hosts for several parasites, including acanthocephalans (phylum Acanthocephala). During necropsy of a European hedgehog, a single adult parasite was collected from the intestinal lumen and preserved in 70% ethanol. After morphological evaluation of the specimen, it was identified as Moniliformis cestodiformis (von Linstow, 1904) (Acanthocephala: Moniliformidae). This is the first report of M. cestodiformis in a European hedgehog, as well as in Europe. More epidemiological studies need to be carried out to map the location and prevalence of this parasite in Portugal and the European continent.
Topics: Animals; Acanthocephala; Moniliformis; Hedgehogs; Mammals; Europe
PubMed: 36946827
DOI: 10.1590/S1984-29612023014 -
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 -
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 -
BMC Genomics Mar 2023Acanthocephala is a clade of obligate endoparasites whose mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) and evolution remain relatively poorly understood. Previous studies...
BACKGROUND
Acanthocephala is a clade of obligate endoparasites whose mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) and evolution remain relatively poorly understood. Previous studies reported that atp8 is lacking from acanthocephalan mitogenomes, and that tRNA genes often have nonstandard structures. Heterosentis pseudobagri (Arhythmacanthidae) is an acanthocephalan fish endoparasite for which no molecular data are currently available, and biological information is unavailable in the English language. Furthermore, there are currently no mitogenomes available for Arhythmacanthidae.
METHODS
We sequenced its mitogenome and transcriptome, and conducted comparative mitogenomic analyses with almost all available acanthocephalan mitogenomes.
RESULTS
The mitogenome had all genes encoded on the same strand and unique gene order in the dataset. Among the 12 protein-coding genes, several genes were highly divergent and annotated with difficulty. Moreover, several tRNA genes could not be identified automatically, so we had to identify them manually via a detailed comparison with orthologues. As common in acanthocephalans, some tRNAs lacked either the TWC arm or the DHU arm, but in several cases, we annotated tRNA genes only on the basis of the conserved narrow central segment comprising the anticodon, while the flanking 5' and 3' ends did not exhibit any resemblance to orthologues and they could not be folded into a tRNA secondary structure. We corroborated that these are not sequencing artefacts by assembling the mitogenome from transcriptomic data. Although this phenomenon was not observed in previous studies, our comparative analyses revealed the existence of highly divergent tRNAs in multiple acanthocephalan lineages.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings indicate either that multiple tRNA genes are non-functional or that (some) tRNA genes in (some) acanthocephalans might undergo extensive posttranscriptional tRNA processing which restores them to more conventional structures. It is necessary to sequence mitogenomes from yet unrepresented lineages and further explore the unusual patterns of tRNA evolution in Acanthocephala.
Topics: Animals; Acanthocephala; Genome, Mitochondrial; RNA, Transfer; Anticodon; Artifacts
PubMed: 36864372
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09177-9 -
Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia... 2023Parasites are important components of ecosystems and may contribute to the ecological aspects of their hosts and indicate the integrity of their environment. To identify...
Parasites are important components of ecosystems and may contribute to the ecological aspects of their hosts and indicate the integrity of their environment. To identify the gastrointestinal helminths of the South American fur seal, Arctocephalus australis, 52 animals found dead on the Rio Grande do Sul coast, Southern Brazil, were necropsied. All studied animals were parasitized, and 104,670 specimens of helminths from three phyla and 14 taxa were collected. Adult specimens represented five of the identified species: Contracaecum ogmorhini, Adenocephalus pacificus, Stephanoprora uruguayense, Ascocotyle (Phagicola) longa, and Corynosoma australe; and one of the identified genera: Strongyloides sp. Immature forms represented the other eight taxa: Anisakidae gen. sp., Anisakis sp., Pseudoterranova sp., Contracaecum sp., Tetrabothriidae gen. sp., Cestoda gen. sp., Corynosoma cetaceum, and Bolbosoma turbinella. The acanthocephalan C. australe was the most prevalent and abundant parasite, whereas Strongyloides sp. had the highest intensity. This is the first record of the nematode Anisakis sp., digenean S. uruguayense, and acanthocephalan B. turbinella in this host. Trophic generalist species such as A. australis can be good indicators of the composition of the helminth fauna of their ecosystems, indicating the presence of zoonotic parasites transmitted by the consumption of fish.
Topics: Animals; Fur Seals; Ecosystem; Helminths; Acanthocephala; Brazil
PubMed: 36820736
DOI: 10.1590/S1984-29612023012 -
Parasitology Apr 2023Anthropogenic interference is a major driver of ecological change in freshwater ecosystems. Pollution and the introduction of new species not only alter macrozoobenthic...
Anthropogenic interference is a major driver of ecological change in freshwater ecosystems. Pollution and the introduction of new species not only alter macrozoobenthic community structures, but can also affect their respective parasite communities. The ecology of the Weser river system experienced a drastic decline in biodiversity over the past century due to salinization caused by the local potash industry. As a response, the amphipod was released into the Werra in 1957. A few decades after the introduction and subsequent spread of this North American species, its natural acanthocephalan was recorded in the Weser in 1988, where it had captured the European eel as a novel host. To assess the recent ecological changes in the acanthocephalan parasite community, we investigated gammarids and eel in the Weser river system. In addition to , 3 species and cf. were discovered. The introduced serves as a novel intermediate host for the acanthocephalans and cf. in the tributary Werra. is persistent in the tributary Fulda in its indigenous host . colonized the Weser with its Ponto-Caspian intermediate host . This study highlights the anthropogenically driven changes in ecology and evolution in the Weser river system. Based on morphological and phylogenetic identification, the shifts in distribution and host usage described here for the first time contribute to the puzzling taxonomy of the genus in times of ecological globalization.
Topics: Animals; Rivers; Ecosystem; Phylogeny; Host-Parasite Interactions; Acanthocephala; Amphipoda; Parasites; Anguilla
PubMed: 36793230
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182023000124 -
Scientific Reports Feb 2023Prosthenorchis elegans is a worm of the family Archiacanthocephala that infects non-human primates in the Americas, producing an intestinal pathology that may compromise...
Prosthenorchis elegans is a worm of the family Archiacanthocephala that infects non-human primates in the Americas, producing an intestinal pathology that may compromise the life of its hosts. Squirrel monkeys, Saimiri oerstedii citrinellus, were found with P. elegans in Costa Rica. Histopathological analysis revealed a severe pyogranulomatous response composed by macrophages, neutrophils, eosinophils, fibroblasts and lymphocytes. Morphological worm analyses revealed 36 hooks in the proboscis distributed in six rows; and total body, hook and lemnisci length were compatible to the original descriptions of P. elegans. In addition, phylogenetic, haplotype network and genetic distance analyses were done on cytochrome oxidase subunit 1, cox1, sequences obtained from the collected specimens. Sequences obtained herein clustered separately with high posterior probabilities in a Bayesian Inference tree and showed 8.12% nucleotide differences when compared to P. elegans from Colombia. This high divergence was confirmed in the TCS network that separated Colombian and Costa Rican sequences by 32 mutational steps, a genetic distance PCA which separated sequences from both geographical locations by 89.5% and an F value of 0.655, indicating the presence of cryptic diversity in P. elegans. Additional studies from specimens collected from other definitive hosts and geographical locations are required to better understand the biodiversity of this species.
Topics: Animals; Costa Rica; Phylogeny; Bayes Theorem; Acanthocephala; Primates
PubMed: 36765145
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28585-1