First report of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts in oysters (Crassostrea rhizophorae) and cockles (Tivela mactroides) in Brazil

Abstract

The consumption of oysters and cockles, which are usually eaten raw or lightly-cooked, can cause outbreaks of human diseases, especially if these shellfish are harvested from polluted areas. In Brazil data about the occurrence of pathogens, like hepatitis A virus, in shellfish have been reported but research on natural contamination for pathogenic protozoa is still non-existent.Cryptosporidium oocyst contamination of oysters (Crassostrea rhizophorae) and cockles (Tivela (0.1%). Immunofluorescence assays were performed and Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 50.0% of gill pools of cockles and 10.0% of gill pools of oysters. In order to evaluate seawater quality in shellfish growing areas, total levels of thermotolerant coliforms, Escherichia coli and enterococci were determined. This is the first time that Cryptosporidium oocysts were found in shellfish from the coastal region of Brazil, and to the best of our knowledge it is also the first report in Latin America and the case might be of public health importance, reflecting the extension of the contamination on seafood, requiring a need for quality control standards.

Occurrence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in commercial oysters in southern Thailand

“…Previous studies have shown that Cryptosporidium oocysts contaminate seafood in North America and Brazil ( Fayer, 2004 ; Guiguet Leal et al, 2008 ; Merks et al, 2023 ; Miller et al, 2005 ), and similar findings have been reported in Europe ( Gomez-Bautista et al, 2000 ; Schets et al, 2007 ). The present study is the first to report the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in bivalve mollusc oysters in Thailand.…”

“…The oysters were shucked in the laboratory, following which parasitological investigation was performed as described by Guiguet Leal et al (2008) and Srisuphanunt et al (2009) . The gills and GI tracts of twelve oysters were separated and homogenized in a tissue homogenizer with distilled water and 0.1% Tween 80 in a 2:1 ratio.…”

Diversities and Shifts of Microbial Communities Associated with Farmed Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and Their Surrounding Environments in Laoshan Bay Marine Ranching, China

“…The edible quality of farmed oysters is highly correlated with the surrounding environment [ 46 ]. The results indicated that the α diversity of oyster microorganisms gradually approached or even exceeded the microbial diversity of water over time, but was lower than that of sediment ( Figure 1 ).…”

Spatiotemporal analysis of the genetic and morphological variation of Iphigenia brasiliensis (Mollusca: Bivalvia) from the southwest tropical Atlantic

“…The southwest tropical region of the Atlantic Ocean, especially on the Brazilian coast, is home to great biodiversity of bivalves (Soares et al 2011), such as the species of bivalve mollusks Anomalocardia flexuosa, Crassostrea rhizophorae, and Iphigenia brasiliensis (Nascimento et al 1980, Maia et al 2018, Teixeira & Campos 2019. Anomalocardia brasiliana is an exclusively Brazilian species that has been studied since the 1970s in different approaches (Narchi 1972b, Mouëza et al 1999, Arruda et al 2009, Silva-Cavalcanti & Costa 2011, Corte et al 2017, similar to the species Crassostrea rhizophorae (Martino & Cruz 2004, Freitas et al 2006, Leal et al 2008, Kanhai et al 2014. However, I. brasiliensis is poorly studied despite its commercial relevance (Narchi 1972a, Ceuta et al 2010, Bonner et al 2019.…”