Parasitic infection by larval helminths in Antarctic fishes: pathological changes and impact on the host body condition index

Santoro, Mario; Mattiucci, Simonetta; Work, Thierry M.; Cimmaruta, Roberta; Nardi, Valentina; Cipriani, Paolo; Bellisario, Bruno; Nascetti, Giuseppe

doi:10.3354/dao02626

Cited by 47 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Fibrosis lesions associated with small necrosis areas have been reported by SANTORO et al (2013) in antarctic fishes and in this same study it was reported different degrees of chronic inflammation in liver tissue caused by larval forms of Contracaecum osculatum and Diphyllobothriidae, which corroborates the present study. This fact may explain the apparent tuviras resistance that even with intense parasitism by nematodes, with the presence of several endocistos in the liver, can maintain stable health.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Histopathology from liver of tuvira ( Gymnotus spp.) parasitized by larvae of nematodes

et al. 2016

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Histopathology from liver of tuvira ( Gymnotus spp.) parasitized by larvae of nematodes

et al. 2016

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“…Our results contrast with the viewpoint of most conservationists and livestock managers that helminth infections have pernicious effects on fish hosts [8,26]. However, their effects depend on many factors including parasite load [26,49], and our results for the trematode Apatemon sp.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…Parasites are usually assumed to be deleterious for their hosts [26,27], and have typically been linked to hosts with poor body condition (e.g. [27,28]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body Condition Peaks at Intermediate Parasite Loads in the Common Bully Gobiomorphus cotidianus

Maceda‐Veiga¹,

Green²,

Poulin³

et al. 2016

PLoS ONE

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Most ecologists and conservationists perceive parasitic infections as deleterious for the hosts. Their effects, however, depend on many factors including host body condition, parasite load and the life cycle of the parasite. More research into how multiple parasite taxa affect host body condition is required and will help us to better understand host-parasite coevolution. We used body condition indices, based on mass-length relationships, to test the effects that abundances and biomasses of six parasite taxa (five trematodes, Apatemon sp., Tylodelphys sp., Stegodexamene anguillae, Telogaster opisthorchis, Coitocaecum parvum, and the nematode Eustrongylides sp.) with different modes of transmission have on the body condition of their intermediate or final fish host, the common bully Gobiomorphus cotidianus in New Zealand. We used two alternative body condition methods, the Scaled Mass Index (SMI) and Fulton’s condition factor. General linear and hierarchical partitioning models consistently showed that fish body condition varied strongly across three lakes and seasons, and that most parasites did not have an effect on the two body condition indices. However, fish body condition showed a highly significant humpbacked relationship with the total abundance of all six parasite taxa, mostly driven by Apatemon sp. and S. anguillae, indicating that the effects of these parasites can range from positive to negative as abundance increases. Such a response was also evident in models including total parasite biomass. Our methodological comparison supports the SMI as the most robust mass-length method to examine the effects of parasitic infections on fish body condition, and suggests that linear, negative relationships between host condition and parasite load should not be assumed.

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“…Nematode parasites harm their host in different ways, such as causing mechanical injury [35, 36], atrophy of tissues, impairment of host fecundity [37], and pathogenecity of liver [9, 13, 17]. Parasitic helminths in natural habitats can drastically reduce their host fitness, and accordingly the hosts have evolved powerful counter-measures to control infection [38].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nematode infection in liver of the fish Gymnotus inaequilabiatus (Gymnotiformes: Gymnotidae) from the Pantanal Region in Brazil: pathobiology and inflammatory response

et al. 2016

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BackgroundA survey on endoparasitic helminths from freshwater fishes in the Pantanal Region (Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil) revealed the occurrence of third-larval stage of the nematode Brevimulticaecum sp. (Heterocheilidae) in most organs of Gymnotus inaequilabiatus (Gymnotidae) also known by the local name tuvira. The aim of the present study was to examine Brevimulticaecum sp.-infected tuvira liver at the ultrastructural level and clarify the nature of granulomas and the cellular elements involved in the immune response to nematode larvae.MethodsThirty-eight adult specimens of tuvira from Porto Morrinho, were acquired in January and March 2016. Infected and uninfected liver tissues were fixed and prepared for histological and ultrastructure investigations.ResultsThe prevalence of infection of tuvira liver by the nematode larvae was 95 %, with an intensity of infection ranging from 4 to 343 larvae (mean ± SD: 55.31 ± 73.94 larvae per liver). In livers with high numbers of nematode larvae, almost entire hepatic tissue was occupied by the parasites. Hepatocytes showed slight to mild degenerative changes and accumulation of pigments. Parasite larvae were surrounded by round to oval granulomas, the result of focal host tissue response to the infection. Each granuloma was typically formed by three concentric layers: an outer layer of fibrous connective tissue with thin elongated fibroblasts; a middle layer of mast cells entrapped in a thin fibroblast-connective mesh; and an inner layer of densely packed epithelioid cells, displaying numerous desmosomes between each other. Numerous macrophage aggregates occurred in the granulomas and in the parenchyma.ConclusionsOur results in tuvira showed that the larvae were efficiently sequestered within the granulomas, most of the inflammatory components were confined within the thickness of the granuloma, and the parenchyma was relatively free of immune cells and without fibrosis. Presumably this focal encapsulation of the parasites permits uninfected portions of liver to maintain its functions and allows the survival of the host.

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Parasitic infection by larval helminths in Antarctic fishes: pathological changes and impact on the host body condition index

Cited by 47 publications

References 27 publications

Histopathology from liver of tuvira ( Gymnotus spp.) parasitized by larvae of nematodes

Histopathology from liver of tuvira ( Gymnotus spp.) parasitized by larvae of nematodes

Body Condition Peaks at Intermediate Parasite Loads in the Common Bully Gobiomorphus cotidianus

Nematode infection in liver of the fish Gymnotus inaequilabiatus (Gymnotiformes: Gymnotidae) from the Pantanal Region in Brazil: pathobiology and inflammatory response

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