Helminth parasites of South American fishes: current status and characterization as a model for studies of biodiversity

2016 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.L. Luque ◽  
F.B. Pereira ◽  
P.V. Alves ◽  
M.E. Oliva ◽  
J.T. Timi
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Fish Parasites ◽  
Current Status ◽  
South American ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Diverse Groups

AbstractThe South American subcontinent supports one of the world's most diverse and commercially very important ichthyofauna. In this context, the study of South American fish parasites is of increased relevance in understanding their key roles in ecosystems, regulating the abundance or density of host populations, stabilizing food webs and structuring host communities. It is hard to estimate the number of fish parasites in South America. The number of fish species studied for parasites is still low (less than 10%), although the total number of host–parasite associations (HPAs) found in the present study was 3971. Monogeneans, with 835 species (1123 HPAs, 28.5%), and trematodes, with 662 species (1127 HPAs, 30.9%), are the more diverse groups. Data gathered from the literature are useful to roughly estimate species richness of helminths from South American fish, even though there are some associated problems: the reliability of information depends on accurate species identification; the lack of knowledge about life cycles; the increasing number of discoveries of cryptic species and the geographically biased number of studies. Therefore, the closest true estimations of species diversity and distribution will rely on further studies combining both molecular and morphological approaches with ecological data such as host specificity, geographical distribution and life-cycle data. Research on biodiversity of fish parasites in South America is influenced by problems such as funding, taxonomic impediments and dispersion of research groups. Increasing collaboration, interchange and research networks in the context of globalization will enable a promising future for fish parasitology in South America.

scholarly journals Helminth parasites of freshwater fish from Central America

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1915 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
GUILLERMO SALGADO-MALDONADO
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Central America ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Parasite Fauna ◽  
Helminth Species ◽  
Helminth Parasite ◽  
South American ◽  
Helminth Parasites

This study is a compilation of current knowledge of the taxonomic composition and distribution of the helminth parasites of freshwater fish in Central America. A list of 111 adult helminth species up to day reported from 17 freshwater fish families from Central America was compiled. The data show a helminth parasite fauna in freshwater fish that is typical to the region. One hundred and two of the known helminth species are endemic to the area, 32 of which can be derived from South American genera. Nematodes were the most abundant group, followed by monogeneans and trematodes. None of the 29 helminth families recorded to date is exclusive to Central America, while 16 of the 65 recorded genera have been only recorded from this area. Twenty three of these genera are South American lineages. The data suggest that helminth parasites of freshwater fish from Central America constitute a recent fauna derived mainly from South America but not found there.

South American Monogenea—list of species, hosts and geographical distribution from 1997 to 2008

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1924 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
SIMONE C. COHEN ◽  
ANNA KOHN
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
South America ◽  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
South American ◽  
Monogenean Species ◽  
French Guyana ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
First Time

A list of 135 monogenean species is presented updating the papers published by Kohn & Cohen (1989) and Kohn & Paiva (2000), increasing to 658 the number of known species in South America. After 1997, 104 monogeneans had been described as new species: 65 from Brazil, 13 from Argentina, 10 from Venezuela, 04 from Chile, two from Guyana, one from French Guyana, Peru and Uruguay each. Some species had been originally described in the same publication from more than one country: 04 from Brazil, Peru and Venezuela, two from Brazil and Peru, two from Brazil and Argentina and one from Argentina and Uruguay. More 31 known species had been reported for the first time in South America: 02 from Argentina, 24 from Brazil, one from Colombia and Brazil, one from Chile and Peru, one from Surinam and Brazil and two from Peru. It was also included in the present paper, 62 species which were already listed in Kohn & Cohen (1998) and reported after 1997 in different South American countries. From, Ecuador, Falkland, Galapagos and Paraguay none species had been reported in this period. A host-parasite list is also presented.

Bluetongue virus in South America: current status based on phylogenetic analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danilo Legisa ◽  
Maria José Dus Santos
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Maximum Likelihood ◽  
South America ◽  
Bluetongue Virus ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
South American ◽  
American Continent ◽  
Genetic Continuity

Bluetongue (BT) is an insect-borne disease affecting domestic and wild ruminants. Bluetongue virus (BTV) is the causative agent of the BT disease. BT outbreaks have been widely recorded worldwide. However, in the South American subcontinent, accurate information about the disease and molecular epidemiology is still lacking because little effort has been made to cover the region. This study comprises an exhaustive phylogenetic analysis including all BTV sequences available in databases and reports new Argentinean sequences for Seg 8 and Seg 9. Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analyses were conducted for Seg 2, Seg 3, Seg 6, Seg 7, Seg 8, Seg 9 and Seg 10. Throughout the study, wide circulation and genetic continuity along the American continent were detected. Also, reassortment events are reported, and the historical virus introduction path into and through South America is suggested.

scholarly journals Current Knowledge of Small Flukes (Digenea: Heterophyidae) from South America

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-386
Author(s):  
Cláudia Portes Santos ◽  
Juliana Novo Borges
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Molecular Taxonomy ◽  
South American ◽  
Molecular Tools ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Parasite Ecology ◽  
Small Intestinal ◽  
Human Infections ◽  
Host Parasite

Fish-borne heterophyid trematodes are known to have a zoonotic potential, since at least 30 species are able to infect humans worldwide, with a global infection of around 7 million people. In this paper, a ‘state-of-the-art’ review of the South American heterophyid species is provided, including classical and molecular taxonomy, parasite ecology, host-parasite interaction studies and a list of species and their hosts. There is still a lack of information on human infections in South America with undetected or unreported infections probably due to the information shortage and little attention by physicians to these small intestinal flukes. Molecular tools for specific diagnoses of South American heterophyid species are still to be defined. Additional new sequences of Pygidiopsis macrostomum, Ascocotyle pindoramensis and Ascocotyle longa from Brazil are also provided.

scholarly journals Anatomy, Embryology and Life Cycle of Lophophytum, a Root-Holoparasitic Plant

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector Arnaldo Sato ◽  
Ana Maria Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Fruit Development ◽  
Embryo Sac ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
South American ◽  
Evolutionary Trend ◽  
Stems And Leaves ◽  
Holoparasitic Plant ◽  
Host Parasite

The most extreme manifestation of parasitism occurs in holoparasites, plants that are totally achlorophyllous. Among them, the genus Lophophytum (Balanophoraceae) is characterized by an aberrant vegetative body called a tuber, devoid of stems and leaves. The genus is exclusively South American, comprising five taxa, which parasitize the roots of trees or shrubs. This review focuses on the Argentine species of the genus: L. leandri and L. mirabile subsp. bolivianum. Topics covered include: morphology and anatomy of the vegetative body and host–parasite connection; structure, anatomy and development of the staminate and pistillate flowers; sporogenesis and gametogenesis, embryo sac inversion; endospermogenesis, embryogenesis and fruit development. The evolutionary trend in the gynoecium and embryo sac of the Balanophoraceae is also discussed to reflect the variability. Finally, observations were made on the synchronization of the life cycles of the parasites and hosts to infer possible ways by which parasitism has evolved, until now unknown.

scholarly journals First report of cestode infection in the crustaceanArtemia persimilisfrom Southern Chilean Patagonia and its relation with the Neotropical aquatic birds

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella Redón ◽  
Gergana P. Vasileva ◽  
Boyko B. Georgiev ◽  
Gonzalo Gajardo
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Neotropical Region ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
South American ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Aquatic Birds ◽  
South American Species ◽  
First Report ◽  
Chilean Patagonia ◽  
New Geographical Record

The brine shrimp genusArtemiaLeach (Crustacea, Branchiopoda), a keystone group in hipersaline wetlands all over the world, offers an excellent model to study species interactions (parasitism) and to explore “hidden fauna” (avian endoparasites). The present study is the first report on the parasite infection of the South American speciesArtemia persimilisfrom the Southern Chilean Patagonia (50°S–53°S). Samples were collected in Los Cisnes and Amarga lagoons, the two most austral populations of this crustacean described to date, during two seasons (spring and autumn). A total of 98 larvae of cestodes of the family Hymenolepididae (Cestoda, Cyclophyllidea) were found and identified as belonging to the following taxa:Confluaria podicipina(adult parasitic in grebes),Flamingolepissp. (a cestode parasite of flamingos),Fimbriarioides(?) sp. (adults of the species of this genus infect waterfowl and shorebirds) andWardiumsp. (definitive host unknown, most probably charadriiform birds). This is a new geographical record ofC. podicipinaand the genusFimbriarioidesfor the Neotropical Region, the latter being the most widely distributed species at both localities and seasons surveyed, and the only species recorded in autumn (April). Cestode community composition in Los Cisnes population was characterised by dominance ofFlamingolepissp., representing more than 65% of the total cestode species recorded, whereas in the Amarga population the most abundant parasite (>83%) wasFimbriarioides(?) sp. Significant seasonal variations were detected in Los Cisnes lagoon forFlamingolepissp. andC. podicipina, with exclusive presence of them in spring (November). Besides providing novel information on cestodes infection inA. persimilis,this study provides new data on the life cycle of cestodes of Neotropical aquatic birds such as South American flamingos and grebes. Our finding expands the knowledge on the biodiversity and population dynamics of extreme and unique environments from high latitudes (Patagonia) and makes evident the need of further taxonomical and ecological studies for better understanding the life cycles of avian helminth parasites in the Neotropics and the role of aquatic invertebrates in them.

Structure, Development, and Behaviour of New Strigeatoid Metacercariae from Subtropical Fishes of South America

1969 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 753-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lothar Szidat
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycles ◽  
Trematode Species ◽  
South American ◽  
Endocrine Activity ◽  
Specific Memory ◽  
Primitive Species ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Research ◽  
Fish Hosts ◽  
Host Parasite

Eighteen species of metacercariae of the order Strigeatoidea (Trematoda, Digenea) are described from tropical and subtropical freshwater fishes of Argentina. Sixteen of them belong to the superfamily Strigeoidea and two to Clinostomatoidea. Ten are new species, five belong to previously known trematode species, and three are not specifically named.On the basis of the morphology of these metacercariae, probable life cycles and host–parasite relations are discussed. A general conclusion is drawn that the South American trematodes are more primitive than their counterparts from other continents.Different groups of fish hosts are recognized, each with a different history of association with their present environment. Originally marine fishes adapted to life in fresh water with the aid of increased endocrine activity, primarily thyroid activity. The high levels of endocrine secretions affected the parasites of these fishes, causing metacercariae to develop neotenically. The hosts which were originally freshwater appear to exert less influence on their parasites. Their metacercariae have a more or less normal course of development.Attention is drawn to the evolution in behaviour of strigeoid metacercariae. Primitive species infect less protected sites in the host. With progressive evolution, increasingly more protected sites are selected by the parasite. The evolution culminates in infection of the lens of the eye, which offers the best protection to the parasite against destructive influences of the environment.It is suggested that the metacercariae are guided to their selected infection site by an "engram," or a specific memory, developed and fixed in the course of many generations. New research into parasite behaviour is urged.

scholarly journals A Guide to Helminth Parasites Reported from Shorebirds (Charadriidae) from the Americas

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Albert G. Canaris ◽  
Sofia Capasso ◽  
Gay J. Canaris
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
South America ◽  
Parasite Species ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Helminth Species ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Helminth Infections ◽  
The Family ◽  
Host Parasite

The shorebird family Charadriidae in the Americas consists of 21 native and 7 vagrant species. Members of the family occupy a diversity of open habitats, ranging from Arctic tundra during nesting, coastal sands, and mudflats to inland prairies, savannas, and wetlands. Some native plovers migrate from nesting grounds in North America to wintering grounds in South America (Hayman et al., 1986; Paulson, 2005; Winkler et al., 2020). Our search of the literature revealed the following: 17 of 28 host species infected with helminth parasites, 153 helminth species, and 199 infections involving 13 geographic areas. The purpose of this guide is to provide easy access to this data and information relevant to helminth infections in charadriids from the Americas. Information is summarized in Tables I–VI. Table I lists in sequence host, parasite, geographic location, and attenuated citation. Common names are given for each host. Host names are listed alphabetically, and older scientific names used in the literature search are in parentheses. Host geographic distribution is abbreviated as follows: NA = North America, M = Mexico, CA = Central America, SA = South America, A = Americas (NA + M + CA + SA). If present, parasite species are listed in the following order: trematode, cestode, nematode, and acanthocephala. The helminth species names are listed as they were given in the cited literature. Tables II–V are parasite-host lists for trematode, cestode, nematode, and acanthocephalan species and host of the species associated with the parasite. Table VI is a summary of information extracted from the tables and literature cited section.

scholarly journals Pleistocene Mammals from Pampean Region (Argentina). Biostratigraphic, Biogeographic, and Environmental Implications

Quaternary ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
José Luis Prado ◽  
María Teresa Alberdi ◽  
Jonathan Bellinzoni
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
The State ◽  
Historical Study ◽  
South American ◽  
Environmental Implications ◽  
Sedimentary Sequences ◽  
Pampean Region ◽  
Mammalian Faunas ◽  
Pleistocene Mammals ◽  
Fossil Records

The Pampean Region contains sedimentary sequences with abundant mammal fossil records, which constitute the chronological outline of the Plio–Pleistocene of South America. These classic localities have been used for more than a century to correlate with other South American regions. Throughout this time, a series of misinterpretations have appeared. To understand the stratigraphic significance of these localities and the geochronological situation of each unit referring to the Pleistocene, a critical historical study of the antecedents was carried out, evaluating the state of each unit. The biostratigraphic studies of the Pampean Region’s mammalian faunas improved the understanding of biogeographic changes taking into account the environmental fluctuations of the Pleistocene.

scholarly journals An Overview of Equine Influenza in South America

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 888
Author(s):  
Cecilia Olguin-Perglione ◽  
María Edith Barrandeguy
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
South American ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Equine Influenza Virus ◽  
Equine Influenza ◽  
Vaccine Manufacturer ◽  
Gene Level ◽  
Control Procedures

Equine influenza virus (EIV) is one of the most important respiratory pathogens of horses as outbreaks of the disease lead to significant economic losses worldwide. In this review, we summarize the information available on equine influenza (EI) in South America. In the region, the major events of EI occurred almost in the same period in the different countries, and the EIV isolated showed high genetic identity at the hemagglutinin gene level. It is highly likely that the continuous movement of horses, some of them subclinically infected, among South American countries, facilitated the spread of the virus. Although EI vaccination is mandatory for mobile or congregates equine populations in the region, EI outbreaks continuously threaten the equine industry. Vaccine breakdown could be related to the fact that many of the commercial vaccines available in the region contain out-of-date EIV strains, and some of them even lack reliable information about immunogenicity and efficacy. This review highlights the importance of disease surveillance and reinforces the need to harmonize quarantine and biosecurity protocols, and encourage vaccine manufacturer companies to carry out quality control procedures and update the EIV strains in their products.

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