Contracaecum jorgei Sardella, Mancini, Salinas, Simões & Luque, 2020 (Nematoda: Anisakidae) in common snooks Centropomus undecimalis (Bloch, 1792) in southeastern Brazil: new host, locality record and remarks on misidentifications of Contracaecum spp. in Genbank

Abstract

In the current study, Contracaecum jorgei Sardella, Mancini, Salinas, Simões & Luque, 2020 is reported from the common snook Centropomus undecimalis (Bloch, 1792) in the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon in the State of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. This anisakid species was recently described in wolffish in Argentina. Through comparative analyzes of genetic sequences deposited in GenBank with the sequencing of a locus of the cytochrome oxidase subunit 2 (cox2) gene provided in the present study, the identification of C. jorgei was confirmed, at the same time that misidentified sequences of Contracaecum spp. were observed. These misidentified sequences were then discussed and reevaluated, expanding the reports of C. jorgei and, consequently, its geographic distribution in the Neotropical region. Finally, the current study highlights the importance of the findings and study of anisakid nematodes in commercial fish for the monitoring and prevention of human anisakiasis, which is openly neglected or confused with other gastrointestinal diseases worldwide.