Mussels ( Perna perna ) as bioindicator of environmental contamination by Cryptosporidium species with zoonotic potential

Abstract

Sources of contamination such as animal feces runoff, organic fertilizer application, and the release of partially treated or untreated sewage can lead to the contamination of aquatic environments by Cryptosporidium spp. The quality of mussels as food is closely related to the sanitary conditions of the marine environment where these bivalves are found. Marine mollusks are filter feeders that are able to retain Cryptosporidium oocysts in their tissue, thus functioning as bioindicators. A total of 72 pooled mussel samples of the species Perna perna were collected at two sites (A and B) in the municipality of Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Sampling involved removal of 30 mussels, from each collection site every month for one year. The 30 mussels from each sampling were then allocated into three groups of 10. Two Cryptosporidium spp. genes (18S and GP60) were targeted for DNA amplification from the samples obtained. After purification, all of the products obtained were sequenced and phylogenetic analyses were performed. Of the 72 samples analyzed using the nested-PCR for the 18S gene target, 29.2% were positive for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. Of these samples, 52.4% were collected at site A (ie 11/21) and 47.6% at site B (ie 10/21). The 18S genes of all the samples considered positive for Cryptosporidium spp. were sequenced, and the following three species were identified: Cryptosporidium parvum, C. meleagridis, and C. andersoni. Three distinct C. parvum subtypes (IIaA19G2R2; IIaA20G2R2; IIaA20G3R2) were identified using the GP60 gene. More studies to evaluate the zoonotic potential of this species should be performed as both sampling locations contain human and/or animal fecal contaminants.

Potential Risk of Three Zoonotic Protozoa (Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Toxoplasma gondii) Transmission from Fish Consumption

“…Cryptosporidium is not only present in vegetables and fruits, but also in other foods, like dairy products, meat, or shellfish (reviewed in [ 18 ]). Many studies have demonstrated the presence of this protozoan in shellfish (i.e., [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]). Shellfish filter and accumulate Cryptosporidium oocysts from water, which proves that Cryptosporidium is present in different water sources, including estuarine and coastal ecosystems.…”

Avaliação De Alterações De Linha De Costa a Partir Da Ferramenta De Imagens Históricas Do Google Earth: O Caso Da Praia De Itacuruçá (Mangaratiba (Rj) – Brasil)

“…El protozoario más importante en la casuística de patología gastrointestinal, como lo es Giardia spp, se encontró en un 30%. Este parásito se ha reportado en mariscos de países asiáticos, europeos y norteamericanos (Robertson, 2007;Gómez-Couso & Ares-Mazás, 2012;Oliveira et al, 2016;Ghozzi et al, 2017;Ligda, 2019;Tedde et al, 2019) como así también Santos et al (2018) lo han reportado en Brasil. Nuestros resultados son coincidentes con los reportados en otros países y constituyó el primer reporte de Giardia spp en M. edulis en Argentina (Torrecillas et al, 2019).…”

“…Existen reportes sobre la presencia de parásitos en moluscos bivalvos tales como Mytilus galloprovincialis, Oestrea edulis, Mytilus edulis, entre otros, que acumulan ooquistes de Cryptosporidium spp y quistes de Giardia spp en otros lugares del mundo (Oliveira et al, 2016;Ghozzi et al, 2017;Tedde et al, 2019). Existen trabajos previos en Argentina, donde se ha reportado la presencia de parásitos de la familia Gymnophalydae que presentan potencial zoonótico en bivalvos de otras regiones (Vázquez et al, 2018).…”

Identification of free‐living amoebas and amoeba‐resistant bacteria accumulated in Dreissena polymorpha

“…Naegleria fowleri , the only pathogenic Naegleria species which is associated with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, has not been detected to date in the Ebro River reservoirs (Garcia et al ., 2013). The microbial community inside mussels and other bivalves is closely related to the microbiological composition of the environment in which they are attached (Mariné Oliveira et al ., 2016). FLAs are usually integrated into biofilms, which correspond to complex structures where microorganisms are associated (Castrillon Rivera and Palma‐Ramos, 2012).…”