Gastrointestinal helminths in brown trout (Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758) captured in Galician rivers (NW Spain)

Specimens of Salmo trutta (n = 613) captured by local anglers in different rivers in Galicia (NW Spain) during the 2015 fishing season (15 March–15 August) were examined. In total 1479 adult helminths were recovered from the gastrointestinal tracts of 221 fish. Moreover, the microscopic observation of the sediments obtained, previous diphasic concentration, revealed the presence of helminth eggs in 485 trout specimens. The following species were identified by morphological and molecular analysis: Crepidostomum metoecus (8.97%) (Trematoda); Salmonema ephemeridarum (16.97%), Raphidascaris acus (9.46%) and Pseudocapillaria sp. (2.12%) (Nematoda); and Echinorhynchus truttae (8.48%) (Acanthocephala). The prevalence, mean intensity and mean abundance of each helminth species were determined in relation to size/age of the fish. The helminth infracommunity comprised a maximum of four species and the species richness was S = 5. The biological cycles of most of the helminth species recovered are dependent on benthic macroinvertebrate fauna, which, in turn, is influenced by the water quality. Therefore, any changes that take place in the aquatic ecosystem (due to anthropogenic activities or climate change) may be reflected in the helminth compositionSC-P is granted by the Programme for the requalification, international mobility and attraction of talent in the Spanish university system, modality Margarita Salas. The study was funded by the Autonomous Government of Galicia (grants 2017-PG073 and ED431C 2021/26)S

Cryptosporidium y otros parásitos gastrointestinales en truchas

Cryptosporidium es un género de protozoos parásitos que incluye especies con importancia en salud pública y sanidad animal. Sin embargo, a pesar de su amplia dispersión en ambientes acuáticos, la información existente en organismos de agua dulce es escasa. La presente memoria aborda el estudio de este enteropatógeno de transmisión hídrica en dos especies de salmónidos de interés socioeconómico: la trucha común (Salmo trutta) y la trucha arcoíris (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Además, contribuye al conocimiento de otros protozoos, mixozoos y helmintos que forman parte de la parasitofauna gastrointestinal de la trucha de los ríos gallegos

A review of the current status of Cryptosporidium in fish

Species of the genus Cryptosporidium (phylum Apicomplexa) infect the epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract of several vertebrate hosts, including humans and domestic and wild animals. In the past 20 years, several studies have focused on Cryptosporidium in fish. To date, a total of four piscine-host-specific species (Cryptosporidium molnari, Cryptosporidium huwi, Cryptosporidium bollandi and Cryptosporidium abrahamseni), nine piscine genotypes and more than 29 unnamed genotypes have been described in fish hosts. In addition, Cryptosporidium species and genotypes typical of other groups of vertebrates have also been identified. This review summarizes the history, biology, pathology and clinical manifestations, as well as the transmission, prevalence and molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium in wild, cultured and ornamental fish from both marine and freshwater environments. Finally, the potential role of piscine hosts as a reservoir of zoonotic Cryptosporidium species is also discussedThis study was funded by the Autonomous Government of Galicia (grant ED431C 2021/26)S

Removal of the waterborne protozoan parasites Cryptosporidium and Giardia by photochemical processes, ultrasound and adsorption onto granular activated carbon

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are two important genera of intestinal protozoan parasites that infect a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including humans. The route of transmission for these enteropathogens is the faecal-oral route, directly from person to person or animal to person, or indirectly via contaminated food and water, being the latter the most common route. They cause the self-limited illnesses cryptosporidiosis and giardiosis, which symptoms depend on the immunity status of the host, varying from asymptomatic to diarrhoea, malaise or fatigue, abdominal pain, anorexia and weight loss. The infective forms, oocysts and cysts (oo/cysts), are highly resistant to environmental conditions and to the conventional disinfection treatments of water. Thus, oo/cysts have been reported to occur in different types of water (surface water, drinking water, wastewater) being identified in waterborne outbreaks worldwide. Therefore, new technologies that enhance or optimize conventional methods are needed. This chapter reviews the current knowledge about the efficacy of different technologies that can be applied in the removal of Cryptosporidium and Giardia from water such as photochemical advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), ultrasound (a non-photochemical AOPs) and granular activated carbon adsorptionPart of this work has received funding from the EU’s Horizon2020 Research and Innovation Program under the WATERSPOUTT Project (grant agreement 688928) and the PANIWATER project (grant agreement 820718), which was funded jointly by the European Commission and the Department of Science and Technology, India; under the CRYPTOREGWATER project (CTM2011-29143-C03-02) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness; and by the Autonomous Government of Galicia (grants PR 815 A 2014-12P and ED431C 2021/26)2023-06-2

First report of Eimeria myoxi in the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus Linnaeus, 1766) from Doñana Natural Area (Andalusia, SW Spain)

This work reports for the first time the presence and molecular characterization of Eimeria myoxi in the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) from the Doñana Natural Area (Andalusia, SW Spain). Fresh faecal samples were collected from a total of 28 garden dormice, which were caught following current guidelines for the ethical use of animals in research, and processing by a standard flotation technique with saturated saline solution. Then, wet drops were examined microscopically, and the number of oocysts was semi-quantified. Eimeria oocysts were observed in 16 of the 28 (57.1%) faecal samples, showing most of them a very low number of oocysts (≤1 oocyst per microscopic field × 400). The unsporulated oocysts visualized in 16 faecal samples were subspherical and of length 19.2 ± 1.2 μm and width 17.4 ± 1.1 μm, being morphologically compatible with E. myoxi. This finding was supported by molecular analysis of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) gene, identifying the same species in 22 of the 28 (78.6%) dormice, including 15 samples in which oocyst size was compatible with E. myoxi. Moreover, the subsequent analyses of the apicoplast open reading frame 470 (ORF470) and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) genes confirmed the molecular identification of the isolates as E. myoxi. The phylogeny analyses were consistent with previous phylogenetic studies and support the existence of three lineages of rodent-infecting Eimeria speciesThe study was funded by the Autonomous Government of Galicia (grant ED431C 2021/26), the Life Adaptamed (grant LIFE14 CCA/ES/000612), and by Dirección General de Espacios Naturales y Participación Ciudadana, Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio, Junta de Andalucía. SC-P is granted by the Programme for the requalification, international mobility and attraction of talent in the Spanish university system, modality Margarita SalasS

Molecular identification of Eimeria species in Spanish bats

This is the first study reporting the detection and molecular characterization of Eimeria in bats in Spain, specifically in 12 of 32 chiropteran species described in the Iberian Peninsula. A total of 76 faecal samples were collected from different bat roosting sites across Spanish territory. The DNA was extracted from the samples and sequenced by targeting the Eimeria SSU-rRNA gene. Two Eimeria species were detected in 29 of the 76 faecal samples (38%), and the bat-specific Eimeria rioarribaensis and rodent-specific Eimeria jerfinica were detected in 4 (5%) and 25 (33%) of the samples, respectively. This is the first report of E. rioarribaensis in the bats Rhinolophus euryale, Myotis myotis and Nyctalus lasiopterus, extending the host and geographical ranges for this bat coccidian parasite. The identification of the rodent-specific parasite species E. jerfinica in bats indicates the occurrence of this species in Spain, although its presence has not previously been reported in wild rodents in this country. Considering that most of the Eimeria spp. reported in bats were described only on the basis of morphometric data, molecular studies are required to determined which Eimeria species occur in bats, to complete the identification of these species and to clarify the phylogenySC-P is granted by the Programme for the requalification, international mobility and attraction of talent in the Spanish university system, modality Margarita Salas. The study was funded by the Xunta de Galicia (grant ED431C 2021/26) and the samples from Murcia were collected during the project “Programa de Seguimiento Biológico de la Fauna Vertebrada Amenazada de la Región de Murcia. Seguimiento de Refugios Prioritarios EXP2/16 Región de Murcia, Consejería de Agua, Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Medio Ambiente, Dirección General del Medio Natural, Subdirección General del Patrimonio Natural y Cambio Climático”S