Morphological analysis reveals the presence of<i>Hepatoxylon trichiuri</i>(Holten, 1802) Bosc, 1811 (Cestoda: Sphyriocephalidae) in<i>Lepidopus caudatus</i>(Euphrasen, 1788) (Pisces: Trichiuridae) from the Mediterranean Sea

Tiralongo, Francesco; Messina, Giuseppina; Poidomani, Stefano; Salvaggio, Antonio; Lombardo, Bianca Maria

doi:10.1002/jemt.23489

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

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“…The sites of infection observed in silver scabbardfish, for the two detected parasite species, is in accordance with previous evidence (Oliva, 2001;Palm, 2004;Robinson, 1958;Tiralongo et al, 2020). The H. trichiuri plerocercoids were found attached to the surface of the coelomic organs/mesenteries, or free in the body cavity, as previously reported (Oliva, 2001;Palm, 2004;Tiralongo et al, 2020). While Mladineo (2006) detected the presence of the plerocercoids of H. trichiuri in the stomach mucosa of the bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus Linnaeus, 1758), no H. trichiuri plerocercoids were found in the gastric cavity of the silver scabbardfish examined in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Data on the occurrence of these two larval species in silver scabbardfish from the Central Mediterranean Sea are also presented with a focus on the site of infection in the fish host. While Tiralongo et al (2020) assigned plerocercoids found in the silver scabbardfish from the Mediterranean to the species H. trichiuri, the occurrence of M. uncinatus in this fish from the Mediterranean Sea represents a new host record for the parasite species, and it expands its known range of distribution. To date, larval stages of M. uncinatus have been previously recorded only in the musculature of snoek, Thyrsites atun (Euphrasen, 1791) from Cape Campbell, Cook Strait (Robinson, 1958), New Zealand waters (Palm, 2004) and from off the South Africa coast (Nunkoo, Reed, & Kerwath, 2016); in M. mola from Indonesia waters (Palm, 2004), and in Xiphias gladius from Sri Lanka (De Silva, Fernando, Ranatunga, & De Silva, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…(Cammilleri et al, 2020;Levsen et al, 2018) and other parasites, such as Kudoa thyrsites (Gilchrist, 1924), responsible of post-mortem flesh liquefaction, with a detrimental effect on the fish product (Giulietti et al, 2019). Also, few records on the occurrence of the trypanorhynch tapeworms from the silver scabbardfish and/or other fish species of the Mediterranean Sea have been so far published (Abdelsalam et al, 2016;Muscolino, Giarratana, Giuffrida, & Panebianco, 2012;Tiralongo, Messina, Poidomani, Salvaggio, & Lombardo, 2020). These reports were only based on morphological analysis of merocercoids or plerocercoids detected in teleost fish species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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First molecular detection of the parasites Molicola uncinatus and Hepatoxylon trichiuri (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha) infecting the silver scabbardfish Lepidopus caudatus from the Central Mediterranean Sea: Implications for the seafood quality and safety

et al. 2021

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Trypanorhynch tapeworms are marine heteroxenous parasites, involving sharks and rays as definitive hosts, invertebrates (i.e. crustaceans) as first intermediate hosts, and various teleost fishes as intermediate/paratenic ones. The massive presence of Trypanorhyncha larval forms in the flesh or body cavity of the fish hosts reduces their market value, making them unappealing to consumers, or causing discards of fish products. The identification of merocercoids (N = 100) of Molicola uncinatus and plerocercoids (N = 46) of Hepatoxylon trichiuri parasitizing the silver scabbardfish, Lepidopus caudatus, from the Central Mediterranean Sea (off Malta coast), was obtained, for the first time, by using sequences analysis of the complete small subunit (ssrDNA) and the partial large subunit (lsrDNA) ribosomal RNA gene loci. The Bayesian Inference from the concatenated sequences obtained at the two gene loci showed that the individuals of M. uncinatus and H. trichiuri clustered, respectively, in two well distinct and supported phylogenetic lineages, corresponding to the two cestode species. High prevalence (P) and mean abundance (MA) values were observed in the infection with merocercoids of M. uncinatus (P = 100%, A = 28.81), with the ventral musculature of the silver scabbardfish as the most parasitized site. Plerocercoids of H. trichiuri were found to infect only the mesenteries, attached to various fish tissues, with a mean abundance rate of 1.28. Even if harmless to humans, a heavy parasitic load with larval stages of Trypanorhyncha, particularly in the edible part of the silver scabbardfish (as here reported for merocercoids of M. uncinatus), can compromise the appearance of the fish-food, making it repugnant and unappealing for the final consumer. It has been also discussed that when managing the risk related to parasites affecting the fish quality and safety of fisheries products, the fishing ground where the life cycle of those parasites takes place should be also taken into account, as it would include the ecological drivers of the infection with those parasites. This wider ecological approach would be of help to the Food Business Operators (FBOs), gathering knowledge useful to manage fisheries in a wide "One-Health" perspective, aware of sustainability, quality and consumer safety aspects of seafood production.

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