Causal Agents of Mycobacterial Diseases in Freshwater Ornamental Fish and their Importance for Human Health in the Czech Republic

In the period from 1995 to 2004, the following mycobacterial species were isolated during the examination of the state of health of aquarium fish from the Moravian-Silesian region of the Czech Republic: Mycobacterium fortuitum (Paracheirodon axelrodi, Poecilia sphenops, Hemigrammus rhodostomus, Hyphessobrycon flammeus), M. chelonae (P. axelrodi, Betta splendens, Xiphophorus helleri, Puntius tetrazona), M. kansasii (P. axelrodi, B. splendens), M. simiae (Hyphessobrycon ecuadoriensis), and M. gordonae (P. axelrodi, Colisa lalia, B. splendens, Symphysodon discus). The first isolation from aquarium fish was recorded in the case of M. kansasii and the second isolation in the case of M. simiae; both should also be taken into account as aetiological agents of mycobacterial infections in humans. The measures to reduce mycobacterial infections in both fish and humans should include monitoring water mains as possible sources of M. kansasii infections, compliance with the sanitation principles in handling fish suspected of being infected and the content of tanks (molluscs, water, plants), and the introduction of strict veterinary inspection of imported fish, fish from aquarist shops and from large-scale distributors

Uncovering the monogenean species diversity of cyprinoid fish in Iraq using an integrative approach

The freshwaters of Iraq harbour a high diversity of endemic and phylogenetically unique species. One of the most diversified fish groups in this region is cyprinoids, and although their distribution is relatively well known, their monogenean parasites have only rarely been investigated. Herein, we applied an integrative approach, combining morphology with molecular data, to assess the diversity and phylogeny of cyprinoid-associated monogenean parasites. A total of 33 monogenean species were collected and identified from 13 endemic cyprinoid species. The highest species diversity was recorded for Dactylogyrus (Dactylogyridae, 16 species) and Gyrodactylus (Gyrodactylidae, 12 species). Four species of Dactylogyrus and 12 species of Gyrodactylus were identified as new to science and described. Two other genera, Dogielius (Dactylogyridae) and Paradiplozoon (Diplozoidae), were represented only by 4 and 1 species, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of the Dactylogyrus and Gyrodactylus species revealed that the local congeners do not form a monophyletic group and are phylogenetically closely related to species from other regions (i.e. Europe, North Africa and Eastern Asia). These findings support the assumption that the Middle East served as an important historical crossroads for the interchange of fauna between these 3 geographic regions