RESUMO
Eye flukes of the genus Diplostomum were recorded with a prevalence of 7.4% and a mean intensity of 11.9 (range 1-75) parasites per fish in eye lenses of a total of 188 Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, sampled in the Southeastern Baltic Sea from March 2013 to February 2014. A slight decrease of infection level, among the fish with body length ranging from 30 to 89.5 cm, was found when data were compared to a corresponding survey in the 1980s. Due to imprecise species identification of eye flukes based on morphometric analyses we present, as a baseline for further studies, rDNA sequences from a subsample of 19 eye flukes based on sequencing of a part of 18S, ITS-1, 5.8S, ITS-2 and part of 28S. We discuss the use of eye fluke recordings in Baltic cod as an environmental indicator due to the dependence of the parasite's life cycle on biotic (occurrence of snail and bird hosts) and abiotic (temperature and salinity) parameters.
Assuntos
Oftalmopatias/veterinária , Doenças dos Peixes/epidemiologia , Gadus morhua/parasitologia , Trematódeos/isolamento & purificação , Infecções por Trematódeos/veterinária , Animais , DNA de Helmintos/química , DNA de Helmintos/genética , DNA Ribossômico/química , DNA Ribossômico/genética , DNA Espaçador Ribossômico/química , DNA Espaçador Ribossômico/genética , Oftalmopatias/epidemiologia , Doenças dos Peixes/parasitologia , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Carga Parasitária , Prevalência , RNA Ribossômico 18S/genética , RNA Ribossômico 28S/genética , RNA Ribossômico 5,8S/genética , Análise de Sequência de DNA , Homologia de Sequência do Ácido Nucleico , Trematódeos/classificação , Trematódeos/genética , Infecções por Trematódeos/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Baltic cod Gadus morhua (a total of total 224 specimens) captured east of the island of Bornholm in the southern Baltic Sea were subjected to a parasitological investigation between March 2013 and April 2014. Full artificial digestion of fillets from 188 cod and additional investigation of livers from 36 cod were performed. Cod or seal worm Pseudoterranova decipiens was recorded in musculature (prevalences up to 55% and intensities up to 56 worms per fish) associated with a negative correlation between worm intensity and condition factor. Liver worm Contracaecum osculatum (100% prevalence with intensities up to 320 worms per fish) in liver tissue were recorded but only a slight negative correlation between intensity and condition factor was noted. Seals act as final host for both worm species and the increased occurrence during recent years is associated with the increasing grey seal population in the area. Infection with Anisakis simplex (the herring or whale worm) in Baltic cod was found at a low level corresponding to previous studies.