25 research outputs found

    Parasites of the Spotted Sucker, Minytrema melanops (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) from Arkansas and Oklahoma

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    During October 2015, March and April 2016 and again between March and April 2017, 15 Spotted Sucker (Minytrema melanops) were collected from sites in the Ouachita (n = 5), Red (n = 1), and St. Francis (n = 5) river drainages, Arkansas, and the Arkansas River drainage, Oklahoma (n = 4), and examined for protozoan and metazoan parasites. Found were Calyptospora sp., Myxobolus sp., Pseudomurraytrema alabarrum, Biacetabulum banghami, Penarchigetes oklensis, and Acanthocephalus sp. New host and distributional records are documented for these parasites

    Large Scale Screening of Digeneans for \u3cem\u3eNeorickettsia\u3c/em\u3e Endosymbionts Using Real-Time PCR Reveals New \u3cem\u3eNeorickettsia\u3c/em\u3e Genotypes, Host Associations and Geographic Records

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    Digeneans are endoparasitic flatworms with complex life cycles including one or two intermediate hosts (first of which is always a mollusk) and a vertebrate definitive host. Digeneans may harbor intracellular endosymbiotic bacteria belonging to the genus Neorickettsia (order Rickettsiales, family Anaplasmataceae). Some Neorickettsia are able to invade cells of the digenean\u27s vertebrate host and are known to cause diseases of wildlife and humans. In this study we report the results of screening 771 digenean samples for Neorickettsia collected from various vertebrates in terrestrial, freshwater, brackish, and marine habitats in the United States, China and Australia. Neorickettsia were detected using a newly designed real-time PCR protocol targeting a 152 bp fragment of the heat shock protein coding gene, GroEL, and verified with nested PCR and sequencing of a 1371 bp long region of 16S rRNA. Eight isolates of Neorickettsia have been obtained. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that 7 of these isolates, provisionally named Neorickettsia sp. 1–7 (obtained from allocreadiid Crepidostomum affine, haploporids Saccocoelioides beauforti and Saccocoelioides lizae, faustulid Bacciger sprenti, deropegid Deropegus aspina, a lecithodendriid, and a pleurogenid) represent new genotypes and one (obtained from Metagonimoides oregonensis) was identical to a published sequence of Neorickettsia known as SF agent. All digenean species reported in this study represent new host records. Three of the 6 digenean families (Haploporidae, Pleurogenidae, and Faustulidae) are also reported for the first time as hosts of Neorickettsia. We have detected Neorickettsia in digeneans from China and Australia for the first time based on PCR and sequencing evidence. Our findings suggest that further surveys from broader geographic regions and wider selection of digenean taxa are likely to reveal new Neorickettsia lineages as well as new digenean host associations

    Novel Reproductive Data on Pealip Redhorse, Moxostoma pisolabrum (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae), from Northeastern Arkansas

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    Little is known about the natural history of the Pealip Redhorse (Moxostoma pisolabrum), particularly on its reproductive biology in Arkansas. We examined 11 female M. pisolabrum collected in late February 2020 and 2021 from the Black River, Lawrence County. Egg mass (g) represented 9‒14% of the total weight of these gravid females. This is the first time information on female reproduction in this species has been reported from any population of M. pisolabrum in the state

    Hemoparasites (Apicomplexa: Hepatozoon; Kinetoplastida: Trypanosoma) of Green Frogs, Rana clamitans (Anura: Ranidae) from Arkansas

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    The green frog, Rana clamitans, has been reported as a host of several hemoparasites, including trypanosomes and Hepatozoon spp. In Arkansas, however, there are no reports of any hemoparasites in R. clamitans nor from any other anuran from the state. We collected 9 green frogs from Polk County and blood was taken from their facial musculocutaneous vein in heparinized capillary tubes. Thin blood smears were also made and stained with DipQuick stain. Seven out of 9 (78%) R. clamitans were infected with hematozoans. Three (33%) were infected with an unknown species of Hepatozoon and 4 (44%) were infected with trypanosomes of 3 distinct morphologies. Mixed infections were found in 5 (56%) of the hosts. Here, we provide the first report of hemoparasites in R. clamitans from Arkansas, including morphometric data and photomicrographs of the infections

    Helminth Parasites of the Golden Topminnow, Fundulus chrysotus (Cyprinidontiformes: Fundulidae) from Desha County, Arkansas

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    During July 2019, 21 Golden Topminnows (Fundulus chrysotus) were collected from an oxbow lake in McGehee, Desha County, Arkansas, and examined for parasites. Found were 4 taxa of endoparasites, including 3 digeneans (Clinostomum marginatum, Homalometron sp., and Posthodiplostomum minimum) and a nematode (Spiroxys contortus). We document a new host record for S. contortus and the first report of parasites in F. chrysotus from the lower Mississippi River Drainage

    Real-Time PCR Detection and Phylogenetic Relationships of \u3ci\u3eNeorickettsia\u3c/i\u3e In Digeneans From Egypt, Phillipines, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States

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    Neorickettsia (Rickettsiales, Anaplasmataceae) is a genus of obligate intracellular bacterial endosymbionts of digeneans (Platyhelminthes, Digenea). Some Neorickettsia are able to invade cells of the digenean\u27s vertebrate host and are known to cause diseases of domestic animals, wildlife, and humans. In this study we report the results of screening digenean samples for Neorickettsia collected from bats in Egypt and Mindoro Island, Philippines, snails and fishes from Thailand, and fishes from Vietnam and the USA. Neorickettsia were detected using a real-time PCR protocol targeting a 152bp fragment of the heat shock protein coding gene, GroEL, and verified with nested PCR and sequencing of a 1853bp long region of the GroESL operon and a 1371bp long region of 16S rRNA. Eight unique genotypes of Neorickettsia were obtained from digenean samples. Neorickettsia sp. 8 obtained from Lecithodendrium sp. from Egypt; Neorickettsia sp. 9 and 10 obtained from two species of Paralecithodendrium from Mindoro, Philippines; Neorickettsia sp. 11 from Lecithodendrium sp. and Neorickettsia sp. 4 (previously identified from Saccocoelioides lizae, from China) from Thailand; Neorickettsia sp. 12 from Dicrogaster sp. Florida, USA; Neorickettsia sp. 13 and SF agent from Vietnam. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the forms, provisionally named Neorickettsia sp. 8-13, represent new genotypes. We have for the first time detected Neorickettsia in a digenean from Egypt (and the African continent as a whole), the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam based on PCR and sequencing evidence. Our findings suggest that further surveys from the African continent, SE Asia, and island countries are likely to reveal new Neorickettsia lineages as well as new digenean host associations

    New Species of Plagioporous Stafford, 1904 (Digenea: Opecoelidae) From California, With an Amendment of the Genus and a Phylogeny of Freshwater Plagioporines of the Holarctic

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    Plagioporus hageli n. sp. is described from the intestine of Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) collected from the River Yuba, California, USA. Of the accepted, nominal species of Plagioporus Stafford, 1904 from the Nearctic, the new species is morphologically similar to three intestinal species from the western USA parasitising diadromous fishes, including Plagioporus shawi (McIntosh, 1939), Plagioporus kolipinskii Tracey, Choudhury, Cheng & Ghosh, 2009 and Plagioporus siliculus Sinitsin, 1931, and is also similar to Plagioporus serotinus Stafford, 1904 from catostomids from eastern Canada. Plagioporus hageli n. sp. is distinguished from the former three species in lacking a dorsal vitelline field and from the latter species in having a consistent interruption in the distribution of the vitellarium at the level of the ventral sucker. The new species is also morphologically similar to an unnamed species of Plagioporus and a species misidentified as ‘Plagioporus angusticolle’ that were collected from California, but it is easily distinguished from both in its shorter body length. To estimate the placement of the new species within Plagioporus and within the Opecoelidae Ozaki, 1925, we conducted a Bayesian inference (BI) analysis of partial 28S rDNA sequence data that included sequences from Plagioporus hageli n. sp., five other species of Plagioporus, three species of Neoplagioporus Shimazu, 1990, including the type-species, Neoplagioporus zacconis (Yamaguti, 1934), two species of Urorchis Ozaki, 1927 (including the type-species, Urorchis goro Ozaki, 1927) and sequences of 42 opecoelid species obtained from GenBank. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed (i) plagioporines parasitising freshwater hosts form a monophyletic group; (ii) Plagiocirrus loboides Curran, Overstreet & Tkach, 2007 nested within the rest of the members of Plagioporus; (iii) the new species was closer to Plagiocirrus loboides than to Plagioporus shawi, the other salmonid parasite included in our analysis; (iv) P. shawi was the poorly supported sister to its congeners; (v) Neoplagioporus elongatus (Goto & Ozaki, 1930) Shimazu, 1990 was closer to the two species of Urorchis than to the other two species of Neoplagioporus; and (vi) the paraphyly of the Plagioporinae Manter, 1947 was reinforced. Based on 28S rDNA sequence data and our BI analysis, we propose Plagioporus loboides (Curran, Overstreet & Tkach, 2007) n. comb., and amend Plagioporus accordingly. This analysis represents the first phylogenetic study of the opecoelids that estimates the interrelationships of the Plagioporinae that includes a member of Plagioporus

    \u3ci\u3eAcolpenteron willifordensis\u3c/i\u3e n. sp. (Monodenoidea: Dactylogryrdae) Parasitic in the Kidney and Ureters of the Spotted Sucker \u3ci\u3eMinytrema melanops\u3c/i\u3e (Rafinesque) (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) from Enconfina Creek, Florida

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    Acolpenteron willifordensis n. sp. (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae) is described from the ureters and kidney (presumably the renal tubules) of the spotted sucker Minytrema melanops (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) collected from the Econfina Creek in the panhandle of northern Florida. The new species is similar to Acolpenteron catostomi Fischthal and Allison, 1942 in body shape and size, position of the vaginal pore, and the general shape of the posteriorly notched haptor. It differs from A. catostomi by having a broad tubular shaft of the male copulatory organ that lacks a proximal double recurve immediately distal to its base. Possible biogeographic explanations for the occurrences of species of Acolpenteron in primary freshwater fishes of North America, Eurasia and South America are presented

    Gill Flukes (Monogenoidea) from the Rainbow Darter, \u3ci\u3eEtheostoma caeruleum\u3c/i\u3e (Perciformes: Percidae): New Distributional Records for Arkansas, USA

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    We collected 2 species of Monogenoidea from the gills of 9 of 29 (31%) Rainbow Darters (Etheostoma caeruleum) from Arkansas. We found Gyrodactylus etheostomae on 4 of 29 (14%) from 3 localities and Aethycteron caerulei on 7 of 29 (24%) from 4 localities. These are the first records for A. caerulei from Arkansas and the first for parasites from E. caeruleum west of the Mississippi River. Based on geographic distribution and morphological similarity, we suggest amending the following previously reported host records for G. etheostomae as follows: Etheostoma asprigene to Etheostoma exile in North Dakota and Etheostoma radiosum tentatively to Etheostoma uniporum in Arkansas

    Alloglossidium floridense n. Sp. (Digenea: Macroderoididae) from a spring run in north central Florida

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    A new species of Alloglossidium is described from the intestines of 2 madtom species (Noturus leptacanthus and Noturus gyrinus) that were collected from the run of a small, unnamed spring system that drains into the Santa Fe River, Florida. Alloglossidium floridense n. Sp. is morphologically very similar to other nonprecocious Alloglossidium spp. that use ictalurids as definitive hosts, but can be distinguished by a combination of its smaller overall size (length and width), large eggs in relation to its small body size, position of the vitellaria, ovary shape, and position of the ovary in relation to the cirrus sac. A comparison of nuclear rDNA sequences (spanning partial 18s, complete ITS1, 5.8s, ITS2, and partial 28s regions) showed that A. floridense n. Sp. diverged by 0.70-3.17% from the other 4, nonprecocious species that infect ictalurids (Alloglossidium corti, Alloglossidium fonti, Alloglossidium geminum, and Alloglossidium kenti). The new species of Alloglossidium, described herein, is the first of the genus to be reported from Florida and the first to be recorded from N. leptacanthus. In light of the subtle morphological differences among the nonprecocious species that infect ictalurids, we discuss how previous descriptions of species traits that are not supported with genetic data are difficult to interpret because of the possible past nonrecognition of distinct species. © American Society of Parasitologists 2014
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