RESUMO
The aims of the present study were to identify and describe the occurrence of nematode parasites in the gonads of bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix from off the coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Only females were found to be parasitized by the nematodes, which were identified as P. saltatrix using morphological, morphometric and molecular data. Infection of female bluefish by this nematode had the following values: prevalence, 48.7%; mean intensity, 2.6; mean abundance, 1.3; and range of infection, 1-10 specimens. Histopathological examination of transverse and longitudinal sections of the parasitized ovaries showed nematodes at different stages of development among oocytes, but no indication of any associated inflammatory reaction. The presence of nematodes in the ovaries of bluefish is an important indication of fish hygiene, and parasitized fish are usually rejected by consumers because of their repugnant appearance.
Assuntos
Doenças dos Peixes/parasitologia , Nematoides/isolamento & purificação , Infecções por Nematoides/parasitologia , Ovário/parasitologia , Perciformes/parasitologia , Animais , Brasil/epidemiologia , Feminino , Doenças dos Peixes/epidemiologia , Estágios do Ciclo de Vida , Nematoides/classificação , Infecções por Nematoides/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a serious tropical disease that affects approximately 500 thousand people worldwide every year. In the Americas, VL is caused by the parasite Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi mainly transmitted by the bite of the sand fly vector Lutzomyia longipalpis. Despite recent advances in the study of interaction between Leishmania and sand flies, very little is known about sand fly protein expression profiles. Understanding how the expression of proteins may be affected by blood feeding and/or presence of parasite in the vector's midgut might allow us to devise new strategies for controlling the spread of leishmaniasis. In this work, we report the characterization of a vacuolar ATPase subunit C from L. longipalpis by screening of a midgut cDNA library with a 220 bp fragment identified by means of differential display reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis. The expression of the gene varies along insect development and is upregulated in males and bloodfed L. longipalpis, compared to unfed flies.
Assuntos
Comportamento Alimentar/fisiologia , Insetos Vetores/genética , Psychodidae/genética , ATPases Vacuolares Próton-Translocadoras/genética , Animais , Sequência de Bases , Southern Blotting , Clonagem Molecular , Cricetinae , Sistema Digestório/enzimologia , Sistema Digestório/parasitologia , Insetos Vetores/embriologia , Insetos Vetores/enzimologia , Leishmaniose Visceral/transmissão , Masculino , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Subunidades Proteicas , Psychodidae/embriologia , Psychodidae/enzimologia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , ATPases Vacuolares Próton-Translocadoras/metabolismoRESUMO
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a serious tropical disease that affects approximately 500 thousand people worldwide every year. In the Americas, VL is caused by the parasite Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi mainly transmitted by the bite of the sand fly vector Lutzomyia longipalpis. Despite recent advances in the study of interaction between Leishmania and sand flies, very little is known about sand fly protein expression profiles. Understanding how the expression of proteins may be affected by blood feeding and/or presence of parasite in the vector's midgut might allow us to devise new strategies for controlling the spread of leishmaniasis. In this work, we report the characterization of a vacuolar ATPase subunit C from L. longipalpis by screening of a midgut cDNA library with a 220 bp fragment identified by means of differential display reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis. The expression of the gene varies along insect development and is upregulated in males and bloodfed L. longipalpis, compared to unfed flies.