Experimental and Molecular Study of Cercariae ofClinostomumsp. (Trematoda: Clinostomidae) fromBiomphalariaspp. (Mollusca: Planorbidae) in Brazil

Abstract

Despite the large number of reports of species of Clinostomum from vertebrate hosts in South America, studies evaluating the molluscan transmitters of these parasites are scarce. In the present study, clinostomatoid cercariae shed from 0.02% (4/17,485) specimens of Biomphalaria spp., collected at the Pampulha reservoir, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, were used for experimental infection of Poecilia reticulata . Samples of cercariae from molluscs and metacercariae experimentally obtained from fish were subjected to morphological and molecular analyses and compared with species of Clinostomum reported in the Americas. The cercariae and metacercariae, here identified as Clinostomum sp., present general morphology similar to that reported for Clinostomum marginatum , however, from molecular point of view, differ significantly from North American C. marginatum and other species of Clinostomum reported in South America. These results suggest that the diversity of Clinostomum found in Brazil may be underestimated. Additional studies aimed at molecular characterization of South American species of Clinostomum, including the finding of specimens with sequences similar to that reported for C. marginatum in North America are required.

Parasitic diversity of a wild Satanoperca jurupari population, an ornamental cichlid in the Brazilian Amazon

“…Moreover, parasites and intermediate host invertebrates may respond to environmental changes in different ways from individual to community and infracommunity level (Poulin and Fitzgerald 1987;Rohde et al 1995;Violante-González et al 2009;Rohlenová et al 2011;Tavares-Dias et al 2014, Alcântara andPinto et al 2015;Chapman et al 2015). Therefore, most of these factors may be related to the community structure of parasites in our population of S. jurupari.…”

“…Species diversity characterized by the Berger-Parker index expresses the proportional abundance of the most abundant species, i.e. I. multifiliis (Table 3) Pinto et al 2015;Chapman et al 2015). The presence of a great diversity of parasites depends on the host species and on other factors related to the host and environment.…”

Diversity of parasites in wild Astronotus ocellatus (Perciformes, Cichlidae), an ornamental and food fish in Brazil

“…were found on the gills, and of C. marginatum in the intestine of A. ocellatus. However, these 2 larval digeneans did not exhibit similar prevalence and abundance, probably because of differences in specificity of primary intermediate hosts and asexual reproduction, although both parasites use fish-eating birds as definitive hosts (Ritossa et al 2013, Pinto et al 2015. This is the first report of C. marginatum for A. ocellatus.…”

Clinostomum album n. sp. and Clinostomum marginatum (Rudolphi, 1819), parasites of the great egret Ardea alba L. from Mississippi, USA

“…In Brazil, planorbid snails in the genus Biomphalaria Preston serve as the first intermediate host for a Clinostomum sp., suggesting that other planorbid snails may be suitable hosts in the life-cycle of Clinostomum spp. (Pinto et al, 2015). In catfish production ponds in Mississippi, USA, there are at least two species of planorbid snail, namely P. trivolvis and Biomphalaria havanensis (L. Pfeiffer), that host digeneans infecting farmed catfish (Yost et al, 2009;Rosser et al, 2016a, b Rosser et al, 2016a, b).…”