New approaches to studying morphological details of intramolluscan stages of Angiostrongylus vasorum

Abstract

<jats:p>Abstract Angiostrongylus vasorum is a pulmonary artery parasite of domestic and wild canid. On molluscs, intermediate host, first stage larvae (L1) are found after the first day of infection, in the 8th L2 and in the 30 th L3. It was evaluated L1, L2 and L3 recovered by Baermann technique from Achatina fulica infected with 1000 L1. Fifty larvae/stage were incubated with antibodies anti-β-tubulin, anti-α-tubulin, anti- α-actin, anti-β-actin and anti-collagen, and then with Alexa 633. Fifty larvae/stage were observed with picrosirius red and Oil Red O. It was also observed in the anterior region of L1 the beginning of the chitinous stems development, in the initial portion of the intestine and genital primordium. In L2 anterior region, the papillae, chitinous canes juxtaposed to the mouth and intestines bigger than L1. The L3 musculature is well defined, next to the chitinous stems, there are two round distally arranged from each other. It was observed the whole extension of the intestine genital primordium and intense cellularity in the L3 distal portion. With the picrosirius red the L1, L2 and L3 musculature could be observed, as the nerve ganglia on L3. Oil Red O revealed that L1, L2 and L3 store energy on lipid droplets.</jats:p>

The invasive giant African land snail,Achatina fulica(Gastropoda: Pulmonata): global geographical distribution of this species as host of nematodes of medical and veterinary importance

“…Two reports, both from Colombia, recorded an association between A. fulica and the nematode A. vasorum (Lange et al, 2018;Penagos-Tabares et al, 2019). Other papers, based on experimental infection, reported that A. vasorum is a parasite of the pulmonary arteries of wild and domestic canids (Pereira et al, 2020). The reduced number of records of A. vasorum infecting A. fulica naturally may be related to the snail's phenoloxidase enzyme, which may inhibit infection by this nematode, although further research is needed to better define this defence mechanism (Coaglio et al, 2016).…”

“…The infected giant African land snails were collected principally in anthropogenic environments (both urban and rural), with specific characteristics, such as the front and back gardens of houses (peri-domestic environment), public parks, vacant lots and abandoned sites containing piles of trash and building rubble (Smith et al, 2015;Vázquez & Sánchez, 2015;Epelboin et al, 2016;Dard et al, 2017;Meijides-Mejías & Robledo, 2019;Pérez et al, 2019). Only a few studies (n = 7) refer to the capture of A. fulica specimens in the rural zone (Lim & Heyneman, 1965;Noda et al, 1987;Lv et al, 2009;Hu et al, 2011;Andrade-Porto et al, 2012;Tujan et al, 2016;Oda et al, 2020), where the snails were collected from plantations of rice (Oryza sp.…”