Larval anisakids (Nematoda: Ascaridoidea) in horse mackerel ( Trachurus trachurus ) from the fish market in Granada, Spain

Abstract

Horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) from the fish market in Granada, southern Spain, were surveyed for anisakid nematodes. The fish came from fishing ports all over the country. Larval anisakids were found in 39.4% of the fish examined; 26.1% were infected with third-stage larvae (L3s) of Anisakis simplex; 0.3%, with A. physeteris L3s; 31.1%, with Hysterothylacium aduncum L3s; and 1.7%, with fourth-stage larvae (L4s) of Hysterothylacium sp. Horse mackerel from Mediterranean Sea coastal ports (South and South-east Spain) had the lowest levels of infection, and those from Cantabrian Sea coastal ports (North Spain) had the highest. The variation in infection levels with host size (age) and season of capture are surveyed.

Nematodes parasitizing Trachurus trachurus (L.) and Boops boops (L.) from Algeria

“…Fourth-stage larvae (L4) were previously identified in the abdominal cavity of T. trachurus as H. aduncum (Pekmezci et al 2012) and as Hysterothylacium sp. (Adroher et al 1996). Specimens of H. aduncum identified in this study from the two fish species T. trachurus and B. boops show the same morphological criteria as those observed by Shih and Jeng (2002) in Taiwanese coast of the Northwest Pacific and Morsy et al (2013) in the Red Sea.…”

Anisakis spp. burden in Trachurus trachurus

“…Our results show that in December, March and May the parasitic burden in the examined fish was low whereas in February and April there was an increase but this observation is related to the correlation between the size of the fish and the number of parasites. The larval burden was related to host length, as noted also by McGladery and Burt (1985), Abaunza et al, (1995), Adroher et al, (1996), Manfredi et al, (2000) and Cruz et al (2007). As Abaunza et al (1995) review, the direct relationship between infestation level and age or length in the horse mackerel is a prevalent phenomenon in many fish species.…”

“…The high prevalence found in the present study (98.8 %) accentuates the concern for human health and the possible financial effects of this parasitic infection. The parasite larvae in T. trachurus are usually located in the body cavity, viscera and muscles (Adroher et al, 1996). Reports on the distribution of Anisakis spp.…”

“…There is an extensive world literature on Anisakis and anisakiosis. In late decades, in fishery and parasitology sciences the interest of many publications is focused on the prevalence of Anisakis infection, the distribution of larvae in the host and the relationship between fish's age/length and its parasitic burden (Smith, 1984;Abaunza et al, 1995;Adroher et al, 1996;Manfredi et al, 2000;Abollo et al, 2001). Very little is known about the prevalence, the distribution or the burden of larval anisakid nematodes among the fish species found in the Aegean Sea.…”

Hysterothylacium aduncum, the only anisakid parasite of sardines (Sardina pilchardus) from the southern and eastern coasts of Spain

“…2). This tendency in the prevalence has also been reported for other fish species and, in many cases, was also statistically (Takao 1990;Adroher et al 1996;Hemmingsen et al 2000;Valero et al 2000Valero et al , 2006a. The low prevalence of the parasite in the youngest sardines may be due to the fish larvae, at least in the Gulf of Lyon, feeding preferentially on phytoplankton (Rasoanarivo et al 1991;Palomera et al 2007 for references), and, consequently, the youngest fish sent to market have had less opportunity than the longer ones to become infected.…”