Title
First report of blood fluke pathogens with potential risk for emerging yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) aquaculture on the chilean coast, with descriptions of two new species of paradeontacylix (aporocotylidae)
Date Issued
01 July 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Sepúlveda F.A.
González M.T.
Universidad de Antofagasta
Publisher(s)
MDPI
Abstract
Blood flukes are digeneans that infect wild and farmed fish that can cause a severe and potentially lethal disease in farmed fish. These parasites are undetectable in the larval stage based on macroscopic observations in the definitive host with the infection becoming evident when eggs accumulate in the branchial vessels. There are nine known species of the genus Paradeontacylix and seven exclusively parasitize Seriola spp. from several geographical areas. Seriola lalandi aquaculture farms are emerging at various localities in northern Chile. Here, we report, for the first time, two blood fluke species parasitizing S. lalandi in the Southeastern Pacific (Chile). In the laboratory, the gills and heart of fish were removed. The retained blood flukes were separated according to the infection site, fixed in 70% or 95% ethanol for taxonomic and molecular analysis, respectively. Morphometrical differences among the fluke species were evaluated with a principal component analysis (PCA) using proportional body measurements. Phylogenetic trees were constructed based on 28S rDNA, cox1 mDNA using Bayesian inference (BI), and maximum likelihood (ML). Based on morphology, morphometry, and molecular analyses, two new species are proposed: P. humboldti n. sp. from the gills and P. olivai n. sp. from the heart of S. lalandi. Both were clearly distinguished from other species of Paradeontacylix by a combination of morphologic features (posterior tegumental spines, testes arrangement, body size). The genetic distance (based on cox1) among species was >10%. P. humboldti n. sp. and P. olivai n. sp. are sister species (with a common ancestor) independent of P. godfreyi from S. lalandi in Australia. The newly identified parasites may pose a risk to farmed S. lalandi as aporocotylids have been the cause of diseases in farmed fish from other geographical areas. In addition, some cages of S. lalandi are currently maintained in an open circulating system, which could favor the transmission of these parasites (if involved hosts are present in the environment).
Volume
10
Issue
7
Number
849
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Acuicultura Parasitología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85110359822
Source
Pathogens
ISSN of the container
20760817
Sponsor(s)
Acknowledgments: We thank the technician Marcelo Abarca of the University of Antofagasta for his collaboration to obtain dead specimens of experimental yellowtail kingfish. This research was supported by project 5303 VRIIP, Universidad de Antofagasta (Chile) granted to M.T.G. This research was funded by Project Semillero of Vicerrector?a Investigaci?n y Postgrado (VRIIP), Universidad de Antofagasta, Chile, grant number 5303.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus