scholarly journals First record of gregarine protists (Apicomplexa: Sporozoa) in Asian fungus-growing termite Macrotermes barneyi (Blattaria: Termitidae)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuo Zhang ◽  
Zijia Lin ◽  
Qihong Huang ◽  
Yulong Shen ◽  
Jinfeng Ni

AbstractMacrotermes barneyi, widely distributed in southern China, is the major fungus-growing termite in the subfamily Macrotermitinae. It has no flagellated protists in the guts. Here, we report occurrence of gregarine, a protozoan parasite in the digestive tract of M. barneyi. The general morphology and ultrastructure of the gregarine gamonts and syzygies by light micrograph and scanning electron micrograph are presented. SSU rDNA sequence analysis showed that the termite gregarine has the highest identity (90.10%) to that of Gregarina blattarum from cockroaches. Phylogenetic analysis based on the SSU rDNA sequences from diverse insect eugregarines indicated that the gregarine from M. barneyi is phylogenetically close to G. blattarus, L. erratica and G. tropica from Gregarinidae and Leidyanidae families, and may represent a novel species. This study expands our knowledge about the diversity of terrestrial eugregarines parasitizing in termites.

2010 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 1962-1977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chitchai Chantangsi ◽  
Brian S. Leander

Environmental DNA surveys have revealed a great deal of hidden diversity within the Cercozoa. An investigation into the biodiversity of heterotrophic flagellates in marine benthic habitats of British Columbia, Canada, demonstrated the presence of several undescribed taxa with morphological features that resemble the cercozoan genera Cryothecomonas and Protaspis. Nine novel species of marine interstitial cercozoans are described that are distributed into five genera, four of which are new. Phylogenetic analyses of small subunit rDNA sequences derived from two uncultured isolates of Protaspis obliqua and nine novel cercozoan species (within four novel genera) provided organismal anchors that helped establish the cellular identities of several different environmental sequence clades. These data, however, also showed that the rarity of distinctive morphological features in cryomonads, and other groups of cercozoans, makes the identification and systematics of the group very difficult. Therefore, a DNA barcoding approach was applied as a diagnostic tool for species delimitation that used a 618 bp region at the 5′ end of the SSU rDNA sequence. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this region showed high intergeneric sequence divergences of about 7 % and very low intraspecific sequence divergences of 0–0.5 %; phylogenetic analyses inferred from this barcoding region showed very similar tree topologies to those inferred from the full-length sequence of the gene. Overall, this study indicated that the 618 bp barcoding region of SSU rDNA sequences is a useful molecular signature for understanding the biodiversity and interrelationships of marine benthic cercozoans.


Parasitology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 136 (9) ◽  
pp. 967-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. FREEMAN

SUMMARYUnusual tumour-like pathologies caused by mysterious cells termed ‘X-cells’ have been reported from numerous fish groups worldwide. After nearly 100 years of research, the tumour-like growths have recently been shown to be caused by a protozoan parasite. In the present study, histopathology and small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) sequences are used to assess whether the X-cell parasite infecting Atlantic dab Limanda limanda L. is distinct from the X-cell parasite infecting Japanese flounder and goby, and to determine their systematic position within the protists. SSU rDNA from Scottish dab was 89·3% and 86·7% similar to Japanese X-cell sequences from flounder and goby respectively, indicating that the parasite infecting dab in the Atlantic is distinct from the Pacific species. Histological studies revealed significant gill pathology and demonstrated the precise location of the parasites within the gill tissues using specific in situ hybridization probes. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the X-cell parasites from Scotland and Japan form a monophyletic group within the Myzozoa, and are basal alveolates. However, ultrastructure of X-cells from dab fails to confirm this systematic placement.


Parasitology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 138 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
HOLLY HEINIGER ◽  
NICOLE L. GUNTER ◽  
ROBERT D. ADLARD

SUMMARYFive novel species,Auerbachia scomberoidin. sp.,Auerbachia chaetodonin. sp.,Auerbachia caranxin. sp.,Coccomyxa colurodontidisn. sp. andCoccomyxa gobiodonin. sp. are described from the gall bladders of marine teleosts. These species descriptions provide the first record ofAuerbachiafrom Australian waters. Each species is characterized morphologically, including additional measurements forAuerbachiaspp. and small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) sequences were determined for molecular phylogenetic analyses. All 5 species were each recovered from a single (and different) species of host. Phylogenetic analyses revealed a close genetic relatedness between members ofAuerbachiaandCoccomyxa. Based on these phylogenetic data, on obvious paraphyly displayed by the Myxidiidae and on priority, we propose the re-establishment of the family Coccomyxidae to house all species of the genera,Coccomyxa,AuerbachiaandGlobospora.


Parasitology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 135 (10) ◽  
pp. 1165-1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. L. GUNTER ◽  
R. D. ADLARD

SUMMARYBivalvulidan parasites from the gall bladder of 31 species of damselfishes (family Pomacentridae) were examined for their taxonomic identity and their relatedness to other species of myxozoans. This paper describes 11 novel ceratomyxid species and a novel Myxidium sp. Each species is characterized morphologically and small subunit (SSU) rDNA sequences were used in molecular phylogenetic analyses. Five pomacentrid species were found to harbour multiple infections of bivalvulidan species. One species of Ceratomyxa and Myxidium were found to infect more than a single species of damselfish. Phylogenetic analyses revealed there has been no radiation of ceratomyxids that can be associated with the fish host taxon and that Myxidium queenslandicus n.sp. was more closely related to Zschokkella mugilis and Ellipsomyxa gobii than other members of the genus Myxidium.


Author(s):  
N. Merk ◽  
A. P. Tomsia ◽  
G. Thomas

A recent development of new ceramic materials for structural applications involves the joining of ceramic compounds to metals. Due to the wetting problem, an interlayer material (brazing alloy) is generally used to achieve the bonding. The nature of the interfaces between such dissimilar materials is the subject of intensive studies and is of utmost importance to obtain a controlled microstructure at the discontinuities to satisfy the demanding properties for engineering applications . The brazing alloy is generally ductile and hence, does not readily fracture. It must also wett the ceramic with similar thermal expansion coefficient to avoid large stresses at joints. In the present work we study mullite-molybdenum composites using a brazing alloy for the weldment.A scanning electron micrograph from the cross section of the joining sequence studied here is presented in Fig. 1.


2015 ◽  
Vol 65 (Pt_9) ◽  
pp. 3216-3225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoteng Lu ◽  
Chen Shao ◽  
Yuhe Yu ◽  
Alan Warren ◽  
Jie Huang

The oxytrichid species Pleurotricha curdsi (Shi et al., 2002) Gupta et al., 2003, isolated from a tributary of the Yangtze River in the Mudong district of Chongqing, southern China, was reinvestigated with emphasis on its morphology, morphogenesis and small-subunit (SSU) rDNA-based phylogeny. Compared with three previously described populations, the Mudong population of P. curdsi is characterized by its large body size, 170–295 × 65–110 μm in vivo, and by having a variable number of right marginal rows, either two or three. Likewise, the number of right marginal rows anlagen (RMA) is also variable, i.e. usually two, but sometimes several small extra anlagen that give rise to the formation of the third row, are present to the left of the RMAs. We posit that the Mudong population is an intermediate form between the three previously described populations. Phylogenetic analyses based on the SSU rDNA sequence data show that all populations of P. curdsi cluster with the type species of the genus, Pleurotricha lanceolata, in a clade nested within the Oxytrichidae.


Nematology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Ivanova ◽  
Ksenia Perfilieva ◽  
Sergei Spiridonov

A new nematode species recovered from the laboratory culture ofDrosophila melanogasteris described and illustrated. The mass reproduction ofPanagrellus levitatussp. n. in the fly culture occurred several times and resulted in a significant reduction of the fly population. Nematode outbreaks happened after the introduction ofD. melanogasterto the culture from natural sources. The new species is morphologically similar toP. ulmi. Partial LSU rDNA and SSU rDNA sequences were obtained and subjected to phylogenetic analysis that demonstrated the affinity of the new species withPanagrellussp. ‘MC2014’ from a red palm weevil. For the first time, the dauer juveniles ofPanagrelluswere described.


2012 ◽  
Vol 476-478 ◽  
pp. 2288-2291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaewnapa Wongsermsin ◽  
Praneet Opanasopit ◽  
Tanasait Ngawhirunpat ◽  
Prasert Akkaramongkolporn

The objective of the present study was to prepare a novel mixed functional cationic exchange copolymer microsphere containing methyl methacrylic acid and sulfonated styrene crosslinked with divinylbenzene. The emulsion polymerization was used to prepare the cationic exchange copolymer microsphere which was characterized by the scanning electron micrograph (SEM) and the fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The release characteristic of the loaded drug i.e. dextromethorphan hydrobromide from the copolymer microsphere was studied under both simulated gastric (pH 1.2) and intestinal (pH 6.8) conditions. The result showed that the drug released from the novel copolymer microsphere depended on the pH of the release media.


1998 ◽  
Vol 209 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 75-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mats Wedin ◽  
Anders Tehler ◽  
Andrea Gargas

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