IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BUCEPHALUS MINIMUS (DIGENEA: BUCEPHALIDAE) LIFE CYCLE IN PORTUGAL: MORPHOLOGICAL, HISTOPATHOLOGICAL, AND MOLECULAR DATA

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2009

Authors

Susana Pina (Author) Other; Teresa Barandela (Author) Other; Maria Joao Santos (Author) FCUP; Fernanda Russell Pinto (Author) Other; Pedro Rodrigues (Author) ICBAS

Journal

Title: Journal of Parasitology

Vol. 95 No. 4

Pages: 353-359

ISSN: 0022-3395

Publisher: American Society of Parasitology

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 19 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 22 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Health sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-003-M7E

DOI: 10.1645/ge-1719.1

Abstract (EN): The cercaria of Bucephalus minimus infects the digestive gland and gonads of its first intermediate host, the edible cockle. Cerastoderma edule. Light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the cercaria showed a tail formed by a central stem, with 2 long contractile arms presenting distinct morphological surfaces. The encysted metacercaria naturally infected the flathead grey mullet, Mugil cephalus. The cysts found in the heart, liver, and spleen were shown to be identical by the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) sequence and morphological features and were associated with encapsulation, recruitment of cell infiltrates, and presence of melanomacrophages and adipose tissue. To establish the life cycle. we compared the ITS1 sequence in an adult from the known definitive host, Dicentrarchus labrax: encysted metacercariac from the liver, heart, and spleen of M. cephalus; and a cercaria from C. edule. With this comparison, we determined that they had a 100% similarity. Therefore, the ITS1 sequence data clearly indicate that these 3 parasitic stages belong to the same species, i.e., B. minimus.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 7