n a survey for parasites and pathogens of Aedes aegypti conducted in La Plata, Argentina, an aseptate gregarine was found parasitizing larvae, pupae and adults of this mosquito species. This gregarine species was identified as Ascogregarina culicis based on the morphology and size of gamonts, gametocysts and oocysts. It is the first record of gregarine infections in culicids from ArgentinaFil: Dellapé, Mariana E.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Marti, Gerardo Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Tranchida, Maria Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Juan Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; Argentin

Dellapé, Mariana E.

Garcia, Juan Jose

Marti, Gerardo Anibal

Tranchida, Maria Cecilia

Entomología y Vectores

English

CONICET Digital

Nota de pesquisa / Research noteFIRST RECORD OF Aedes aegypti (L.) (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE)INFECTED BY THE PARASITE Ascogregarina culicis (ROSS)(APICOMPLEXA: LECUDINIDAE) IN ARGENTINAMariana E. Dellapé, Gerardo A. Marti,María C. Tranchida & Juan J. GarcíaAbstractIn a survey for parasites and pathogens of Aedes aegypti conductedin La Plata, Argentina, an aseptate gregarine was found parasitizing larvae,pupae and adults of this mosquito species. This gregarine species wasidentified as Ascogregarina culicis based on the morphology and size ofgamonts, gametocysts and oocysts. It is the first record of gregarineinfections in culicids from Argentina.Key words: Gregarine, Ascogregarina culicis, Aedes aegyptiDengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever occur throughout the tropicaland semitropical regions of the world (Gubler & Kuno, 1997) and is themost important and rapidly spreading arbovirus infection in the Americas.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores-Cepave (UNLP-Conicet), Calle 2 Nº 584,1900La Plata, Argentina. Fax : 54 221 423 2327. Email: jjgarcia@museo.fcnym.unlp.edu.arSupported by Buenos Aires Scientific Research Commision (CIC), CONICET andUniversity of La Plata.Recebido em: 06/10/2004.Aceito em: 28/01/2005.UNIVERSIDADE GAMA FILHO                                                               Entomol. Vect. – ISSN 0328-0381Disponível em www.ugf.br/editoraEntomol. Vect. 12 (1): 111-115, 2005. 112 . Dellapé, M. E. et al.Entomol. Vect. 12 (1): 111-115, 2005Aedes aegypti (L.) is the primary vector of dengue in the Americas.Reinfestation of Argentina by A. aegypti was recorded since 1986 (PAHO,1990) meanwhile classic dengue cases has been reported in the north andnortheast provinces since 1998 (Avilés et al., 1999). The range of this mos-quito species has been spreading in Argentina over the last fifteen yearsand its presence has been recorded in fifteen argentine provinces and inBuenos Aires city (Curto et al., 2002).Control of A. aegypti is based on chemical treatment and environmentalmanagement. These methods have shown variable success and somepotentially have negative environmental effects. The use of biological controlagainst A. aegypti is an alternative control measure that should be consideredalthough studies concerning natural predators, parasites and patogens of A.aegypti are rare in Latin America including Argentina.During a survey for natural enemies of A. aegypti from October 2003to June 2004 in La Plata, Buenos Aires province, Argentina, was found anaseptate gregarine parasitizing larvae, pupae and adults of field collectedA. aegypti with prevalence rates ranged from 24% to 31%.Infected larvae presented free elongate gamonts in the midgut,measuring 59.3 ìm (30.8-168.3) long and 12.1 ìm (7.1-26.7) wide (n=100;fresh) (Figs. 1, 2). Spherical gametocysts with 2 gamonts at first, laterfilled with large number of oocysts were recorded in the lumen ofMalpighian tubes of pupae and 24 old emerged male and female adults,averaged 98.3 ìm (78.6-129.7) in diameter (n=25; fresh) (Fig. 3). Matureoocysts elongate ellipsoidal had 11.2 ìm (9.5-12.2) long and 4.9 ìm (4.7-5.1) wide (n=100) (Fig. 4).We believe that the gregarine reported is the same speciesdescribed in detail by Lien & Levine (1980) from A. aegypti in Taiwan, andidentified as Ascogregarina culicis (Ross). However, the adult gamontsizes vary considerably in previous reports. Ross (1895) recordedgamonts up to 200 µm. Wenyon (1911) gave an average of 50 µm in longfor gamonts of this species. McCray et al. (1970) mentioned a length of275-280 µm for mature gamont of A. culicis. Despite these variations inthe size of adult gamonts, mature oocyst dimension in these reports hasremained consistently in the range 9-10 x 5-6 µm which is fairly close tothe argentine isolate reported here.Ascogregarina culicis was first described from A. aegypti in India byRoss (1895). Subsequently, the parasite has been widely reported fromthis host in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America (Jenkins,. 113 .First record of Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae)Entomol. Vect. 12 (1): 111-115, 2005Developmental stages of Ascogregarina culicis in Aedes aegypti. Fig. 1: maturegamont (bar = 8 µm); Fig. 2: Free gamonts (arrow) in larval midgut (bar = 90µm); Fig. 3: gametocyst (arrow) in Malpighian tubes of adult (bar = 90 µm); Fig.4: mature oocysts freed from broken Malpighian tubes of adult. (bar = 14 µm).1964; Robert & Strand, 1977). The only previous record of A. culicis fromSouth America was reported by Marchoux et al. (1903) in A. aegypti inBrazil. After a century, this is the second report of the occurrence of A.culicis in the Neotropical region and it is the first record of a gregarine infectionin mosquitoes from Argentina.Previous studies have indicated that A. culicis has some potential asa biological control agent for A. aegypti (Sulaiman, 1992). The natural roleof A. culicis in the population dynamics of A. aegypti, and the potential ofthis gregarine to serve as biological control agents for A. aegypti remain tobe explored.. 114 . Dellapé, M. E. et al.Entomol. Vect. 12 (1): 111-115, 2005ReferencesAvilés, G.; Rangeón G.; Vorndam V.; Briones A.; Baroni P.; Enria D. &Sabattini M.S., 1999. Dengue reemergence in Argentina. Emerg. Infect.Dis. 5: 575-578.Curto, S.I.; Boffi,  R.; Carbajo, A.E.; Plastina, R. & Schweigmann, N., 2002.Reinfestación del territorio argentino por Aedes aegypti. Distribucióngeográfica (1994 - 1999). Publ. Monogr. 2:127-137 In: Actualizacionesen artropodología sanitaria argentina. Ser. Enfermedadestransmisibles. RAVE, (O.D. Salomón, ed.). Fundación Mundo Sano,Buenos Aires, 301 pGubler, D. & Kuno, G., 1997. Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever.CAB International, New York, 496 p.Jenkins, D.W., 1964. Pathogens, parasites and predators of medicallyimportant arthropods. Annotated list and bibliography. Bull.WHO30 Supplement, 150 p.Lien, S. & Levine, N.D., 1980. Three new species of Ascocystis (Apicomplexa,Lecudinidae) from Mosquitoes. J. Protozool. 27:147-151.McCray, E.M. Jr.; Fay, R.W. & Schoof, H.F., 1970. The bionomics ofLankesteria culicis and Aedes aegypti. J. Invertebr. Pathol. 16:12-53.Marchoux, E.; Salimbeni, A. & Simond, P. L., 1903. La fievre jaune. Rapportde lamission francaise. Ann. Inst. Past. 17:665-673.PAHO, 1990. Health conditions in the Americas. Sci. Pub. 524:7-25.Robert, D.W. & Strand, M.A., 1977. Pathogens of medically importantarthropods. Bibliography. Geneva: World Health Organization, 419 p.Ross, R., 1895. The crescent-sphere-flagella metamorphosis of the malariaparasite in the mosquito. Trans.South Indian Branch, 6: 334-350.. 115 .First record of Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae)Entomol. Vect. 12 (1): 111-115, 2005Sulaiman, I., 1992. Infectivity and pathogenicity of Ascogregarina culicis(Eugregarinida: Lecudinidae) to Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). J.Med. Entomol. 29:1-4.Wenyon, C.M., 1911. The life story of Lankesteria culicis (Ross, 1898).Gregarine in Stegomyia fasciata. Parasitology 4:318-324.

First record of Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) infected by the parasite Ascogregarina culicis (Ross) (Apicomplexa: Lecudinidae) in Argentina

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First record of Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) infected by the parasite Ascogregarina culicis (Ross) (Apicomplexa: Lecudinidae) in Argentina

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