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Higher magnifi cation of the verminous gastric granuloma. Note the peripheral layer of fl attened epithelioid macrophages (blue arrow) that encircle central cellular debris, melanin pigment, admixed with nematode larvae ( Contracaecum spp.). Hematoxylin and eosin stain; 50μm.
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The American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) is an aquatic, carnivorous member of the family Ranidae that is used extensively in physiology education programs and in various physiology, toxicology, sensorineural, and genetics research. Eleven bullfrogs purchased from a vendor distributing wild-caught frogs for use in a physiology research protocol were...
Citations
... For North America, where the invasive bullfrogs are closer to their native range, Dare and Forbes (2013) found that bullfrogs had lower helminth species richness than their endemic counterparts, but demonstrated high levels of infection for some parasites known to be harmful. Thus, our results, in addition to previous studies, indicate that invasive bullfrogs are not free from helminth parasites in their non-native range, with some studies reporting high levels of infection (Lemke et al., 2008) while others report low levels (González et al., 2014). This suggests that helminth prevalence, richness, and intensity of infection found in these bullfrogs vary by location, which are most likely determined by interactions between biotic and abiotic factors (Anderson and Sukhdeo, 2010). ...
Emerging infectious diseases threaten amphibian species across the globe. In Brazil, the American bullfrog (Aquarana catesbeiana) is a highly invasive species that can potentially transmit parasites and pathogens to native amphibians. This is the first assessment of co-infection of Ranavirus and helminth macroparasites in invasive populations of bullfrogs in South America. We collected, measured, and euthanized 65 specimens of A. catesbeiana sampled from 9 sites across three states of Brazil in the Atlantic Forest biome. We collected and identified helminth macroparasites and sampled host liver tissue to test for the presence and load of Ranavirus with quantitative PCR. We documented patterns of prevalence, parasite load, and co-infection with generalized linear mixed models, generalized logistic regressions, and randomization tests. Most individual bullfrogs did not exhibit clinical signs of infection, but the overall Ranavirus prevalence was 27% (95% confidence interval, [CI 17–38]). Bullfrogs were infected with helminth macroparasites from 5 taxa. Co-infection of helminth macroparasites and Ranavirus was also common (21% CI [12–31]). Bullfrog size was positively correlated with total macroparasite abundance and richness, and the best-fitting model included a significant interaction between bullfrog size and Ranavirus infection status. We observed a negative correlation between Ranavirus viral load and nematode abundance (slope = −0.22, P = 0.03). Invasive bullfrogs (A. catesbeiana) in Brazil were frequently infected with both Ranavirus and helminth macroparasites, so adult bullfrogs could serve as reservoir hosts for both pathogens and parasites. However, many macroparasites collected were encysted and not developing. Coinfection patterns suggest a potential interaction between Ranavirus and macroparasites because helminth abundance increased with bullfrog size but was lower in Ranavirus infected individuals. Future studies of bullfrogs in the Atlantic Forest should investigate their potential role in pathogen and parasite transmission to native anurans.
... This parasite causes clinostomiasis (Laryngopharyngitis disease) in people and results in fatalities from asphyxiation [20,24]. Clinostomum metacercariae can be observed on the skin, muscle, or internal organs of fish and amphibians [28,29]. ...
Global fish consumption increased higher than that of all other animal protein foods. The image of fish as a healthy food is the main reason for increasing demand for fish meat, but there are serious safety concerns related to the presence of fish-borne zoonotic pathogen including parasites. A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2021 to July 2022 at Lake Haramaya, Lake Tinike, and Lake Adele on Oreochromis niloticus and Clarias gariepinus fish species to determine the prevalence of Contracaecum (Nematoda) and Clinostomum (Trematoda) infection. A total of 384 individuals of C. gariepinus 241 (62.76%) and O. niloticus 143 (37.24%) were sampled from Lake Haramaya 149 (38.8%), Lake Tinike 113 (29.4%) and Lake Adele 122 (31.8%). The overall prevalence of parasite was 30.2% (116/384) and higher overall prevalence of parasite was recorded in Lake Haramaya (36.2%) followed by Lake Adele (27.9%) and Lake Tinike (24.8%). C. gariepinus was more affected than O. niloticus fish and Contracaecum parasite was more prevalent than Clinostomum parasite (37.3% and 18.2%) and (29.9% and 14.6%), respectively. The distribution of parasite was significantly affected with respect to species of fish, sex, weight, and length categories, genera of parasite, and location of parasites. The perception of respondents on fish-borne zoonotic parasite (FBZP) was affected by demographic characteristics of respondents. Human and animals were interacted with the lakes and its environment adversely which can perpetuate the life cycle of FBZP. Moreover, unsafe fish meat processing from harvesting to consumption was the main problem at the study area, which can makes surrounding people under the risk of FBZP. However, the risks associated with FBZP can be reduced through the application of good hygiene, fishing practices, inspection of fish meat, proper storage, adequate cooking of fish, and with the promotion of the community awareness.
... Intestinal parasites can negatively impact animal development and health (Chero et al., 2014(Chero et al., , 2016. However, despite the common occurrence of parasites in amphibians, there are few reports indicating their prevalence and distribution (Lemke et al., 2008). ...
... Our study observed an overall prevalence of intestinal parasites in aquaculture production units of 70.5%, with a high prevalence in APU in the state of Jalisco (81.2%) compared to those identified in Aguascalientes and Zacatecas (35.7% and 25.0%, respectively). These results are similar to those reported in other studies, where a prevalence of 81.3% was identified in wild animals in Argentina and from 43 to 46% in the United States (Lemke et al., 2008;Miller et al., 2009;González et al., 2014); in production animals a prevalence of 1.7% is reported in aquaculture production units from Brazil (Antonucci et al., 2012). These results suggest that wild frogs suffer a higher rate of infection by gastrointestinal parasites while production animals have a lower degree of parasitosis. ...
In Mexico, intensive production of bullfrogs is one of the most important aquaculture activities, due to growing demand for their meat. Frogs can be hosts for several parasites that negatively affect their development and health. The objective of this study was to identify the presence of intestinal parasites in bullfrogs in aquaculture production units. Eighteen bullfrogs aquaculture production units were selected, and 20 animals (n=360) from each farm. Fecal samples were obtained by mucosal scraping and processed using the concentration method. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasites was 70.5%, and all farms had frogs infected by some species of parasite. Two species of parasites were identified: Eimeria sp. and Strongyloides sp. Significant differences were found regarding parasite prevalence between males and females (73.8% vs 58.8%) and regarding tibia length (5.5 vs 6.1 cm) and weight (168 vs 187 g) between parasitized and non-parasitized frogs. In conclusion, the present study showed a high prevalence of intestinal parasites, and morphometric alterations (weight, snout-cloaca length, radio-ulna length, tibia length and distance between parotid glands) were identified in the parasitized animals. These results provided useful information that will enable establishment of adequate control measures to help minimize the adverse effects of these parasites.
... Clinostomid metacercariae can be observed on the skin, muscle or internal organs of freshwater fish and amphibians (McAllister, 1990;Lemke et al., 2008;Sutili et al., 2014). The growth of adults in the buccal cavity and oesophagus of piscivorous birds, as well as the presence of members of the Nephrocephalinae subfamily in the oesophagus of reptiles, has been reported (Kanev et al., 2002;Bullard & Overstreet, 2008;Pérez-Ponce de León et al., 2016). ...
In the Laboratory of Parasites of Fishes, Crustaceans and Mollusks (CEPAVE), we undertook a parasitological study on three species of fish from the Espinal and Esteros del Iberá ecoregions of Argentina. Clinostomid metacercariae were found parasitizing Characidium rachovii , Crenicichla vittata and Gymnogeophagus balzanii . In this study, we analysed the damage that these parasites inflict on their hosts through the evaluation of histological sections. In addition, Clinostomum metacercariae were identified using morphological characters and DNA barcoding. In the pathological analysis, we observed that muscle tissue was the most affected. The inflammatory response showed vascular congestion areas and infiltration of numerous inflammatory cells, mainly lymphocytes. The molecular and morphological approach supports the presence of three new lineages of clinostomid metacercariae in Argentina. This could lead to the discovery of a high number of lineages or species of Clinostomum from South America.
... For instance, P. regilla and L. catesbeiana have previously supported infection by Clinostomum spp. (Muzzall, 1991;Lemke et al., 2008) and C. attenuatum (Cort, 1913;Jinks and Johnson, 1970). These results collectively indicate that the use of second intermediate host identity alone is probably insufficient to differentiate the species of Clinostomum, and therefore the previously suggested high degree of intermediate host specificity should be interpreted with caution. ...
Digenetic trematodes of the genus Clinostomum are cosmopolitan parasites infecting fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and snails as intermediate hosts. Despite the broad geographical distribution of this genus, debate about the number of species and how they vary in host use has persisted. To better understand patterns of infection among host species and across life stages, we used large-scale field surveys and molecular tools to examine five species of amphibians and seven species of fishes from 125 California ponds. Among the 12,360 examined hosts, infection was rare, with an overall prevalence of 1.7% in amphibians and 9.2% in fishes. Molecular evidence indicated that both groups were infected with Clinostomum marginatum . Using generalized linear mixed effects models, host species identity and host life stage had a strong influence on infection status, such that Lepomis cyanellus (green sunfish) (49.3%) and Taricha granulosa (rough skinned newt) (9.2%) supported the highest overall prevalence values, whereas adult amphibians tended to have a higher prevalence of infection relative to juveniles (13.3% and 2.5%, respectively). Experimentally, we tested the susceptibility of two amphibian hosts ( Pseudacris regilla [Pacific chorus frog] and Anaxyrus boreas [western toad]) to varying levels of cercariae exposure and measured metacercariae growth over time. Pseudacris regilla was 1.3× more susceptible to infection, while infection success increased with cercariae exposure dose for both species. On average, metacarcariae size increased by 650% over 20 days. Our study highlights the importance of integrating field surveys, genetic tools, and experimental approaches to better understand the ecology of host–parasite interactions.
... The presence of various water sources in Qena province encourages the inhabitation of different snails, frogs, lizards, and fish, which facilitates the completion of life cycle for Ribeiroia ondatrae. Similarly, Clinostomum complanatum is a widespread digenetic trematode found in piscivorous birds, with snails, frogs, fish, and snakes as intermediate hosts (Lemke et al., 2008;Abro et al., 2016). It was believed that the dead cormorants described in the current paper resided near fresh water sources in search of food, which allowed the parasites to complete their different developmental stages. ...
Three adult female cormorants, Phalacrocorax carbo, were found dead in Qena province, Egypt in December 2016. They were immediately sent to the Laboratory in Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Egypt, for necropsy. Apparently, the birds had no gross lesions or suffered from injured or damaged tissue. Complete evisceration of internal organs was performed, and birds were subjected to a full parasitological examination for the detection of helminths. Helminthiasis was only detected in the gastrointestinal tracts. Among the recovered helminths, three trematodes, one tapeworm, and three nematode species were found. Digeneans were identified as Clinostomum complanatum (n=3; at the first part of the oesophagus), Ribeiroia ondatrae (n=2; at the middle part of the oesophagus), and Paryphostomum radiatum (n=3; in the small intestine). The revealed cestodes species (n=one; in the small intestine) were identified as Paradilepsis scolecina. Lastly, the recovered nematodes (n=3; in the stomach) were identified as Contracaecum rudolphii, Contracaecum microcephalum, and Contracaecum chubutensis. It was noted that mixed infection of all helminth species was found in a single bird. Moreover, another bird also presented with mixed infection of Contracaecum spp. and digeneans. Histopathological examination revealed leucocytic infiltration surrounding the embedded digeneans, hyperplasia of the proventricular wall, as well as necrosis with remnants of degenerated trematodes. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study revealing Clinostomum complanatum, Ribeiroia ondatrae, Paryphostomum radiatum, Paradilepsis scolecina, Contracaecum rudolphii, Contracaecum microcephalum, and Contracaecum chubutensis in the great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo, in Egypt.
... oral cavity and esophagus of piscivorous bird (Yamaguti, 1971). This trematode completes its life cycle in snails, mostly in fishes and fish eating birds. Snails are first intermediate hosts; fishes, frogs, salamander and garter snakes are second intermediate hosts and piscivorous birds are definitive hosts (Yamaguti, 1971;Mcallister et. al., 2007and Lemke et. al., 2008. The metacercariae of C. complanatum commonly called "yellow grubs," embedded in stomach of fishes, migrates up to esophagus and settle in throat or oral cavity. Metacercariae cause pathological changes in skin, muscles, fins, head and viscera resulting change in behavior of host and incur economic losses in fish farms. Moreover, C. com ...
During study of helminthic fauna of Little cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger), from Sindh, Pakistan, a total of 90 trematodes belonging to genus Clinostomum were collected from esophagus and gizzard of four hosts. On the basis of body shape and size, distribution of vitellaria, shape and position of testes, ovary and cirrus sac, these trematodes were identified as Clinostomum complanatum (Rud., 1814) Braun, 1899.However, this species of trematode is being reported for the first time in Phalacrocorax niger from Pakistan.
... In the present investigation, plagiorchiid digenean T. ranarum was collected from the intestine of H. tigerinus from various places of Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh to analyze their seasonal dynamics. An appreciable amount of work has been contributed worldwide on metazoan parasites of Amphibians (Mehra et Negi,1926Bhalerao,1926;Verma, 1930;Srivastava,1933;Fishchthal and Thomas, 1968, Fotedar, 1959a, 1959bAgarwal,1966Agarwal, , 1968Jahan, 1973;Khan and Mohiuddin,1968;Pandey and Chakravarti 1968;Mukerjee andGosh 1970a, b, 1972;Pandey, 1973;Rao and Kameshwari, 1976;Simha, 1977;Dutta 1981, 1985;Diengdoh 1989;Diengdoh and Tandon,1991;Prudhoe and Bray 1982;Verma and Singh, 2000;Luque et al., 2005;Lemke et al., 2008;Schotthofer et al., 2009;Mohammad et al., 2010). However, only a negligible amount of work has been carried out on the seasonal dynamics, morphological intra-specific variations and life-cycles of T.ranarum from India (Mehra et Negi, 1926Bhalerao, 1926;Verma, 1930;Bhardwaj, 1962 ...
The Indian bull frog, Hoplobatrachus tigerinus Daudin, 1803 is frequently found to be infected with the digenean, Tremiorchis ranarum Mehra et Negi, 1926. The seasonal dynamics of the T.ranarum was studied in the frog during February, 2013 to February, 2014 from Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh. Of the total of 130 frogs examined, only 18 frogs (13.84%) were infected with this digenean (n=530). Intensity of infection ranged from 1 to 229, with mean intensity (29.44+20.82), mean abundance (4.07+2.88) and index of infection (0.56). Monthly population dynamics of T. ranarum of H. tigerinus was analyzed in term of prevalence, mean intensity and mean abundance. Medium sized and larger frogs showed more infection and there is effect of sex on the parasitic infection of T. ranarum. Males are more infected when compared to females.
... Bonett et al. (2011) described C. marginatum in two species of the plethodontid salamander using morphological and molecular methods. In addition to these reports, many authors have reported unidentified metacercariae of Clinostomum during surveys of the helminths of amphibians (Goldberg et al., 1998 Muzzall et al., 2001; Yoder et al., 2001; Kuperman et al., 2004; Léon-Règagnon et al., 2005; King et al., 2008; Lemke et al., 2008; Cabrera-Guzmán et al., 2010; Perpiñ a ´n et al., 2010; Schotthoefer et al., 2011). The morphological features observed in all the specimens from the newts examined during the present survey were consistent with C. complanatum metacercariae. ...
Adults of Clinostomum spp. are digenetic trematodes found in fish-eating
birds, reptiles and occasionally mammals, including humans. Freshwater snails
serve as first intermediate hosts and many fish species and amphibians as second
intermediate hosts. To date, amphibian hosts of Clinostomum metacercariae
include members of urodele and anuran families in North America, but no data
are available on infections of European amphibians, including newts. In this
study, we characterize infections of Clinostomum complanatum metacercariae in
four smooth (Lissotriton vulgaris) and 18 Italian crested newts (Triturus carnifex)
from an artificial pond located in a protected area in Tuscany, Italy. Parasites
were surgically removed from the infected newts and identified both
morphologically and using sequences of a mitochondrial gene, cytochrome c
oxidase I, and the ribosomal markers, internal transcribed spacers. This is the
first record of C. complanatum in European newts and, more generally, in
amphibians in Europe.
... Even in protected areas, newt populations face risks associated with climate change, anthropogenic impacts, loss of aquatic habitats (especially breeding sites) to , 1913;Jinks & Johnson, 1971 R. clamitans USA Najarian, 1955 R. forreri Mexico Goldberg & Bursey, 2002 R. pipiens USA Cort, 1913;Fortner, 1923;Odlaug, 1955;Ulmer, 1970 R. sphenocephala USA Trowbridge & Hefley, 1934 , 1990 Ranidae Rana grylio USA Walton, 1948 R. palustris USA Walton, 1949a R. pipiens USA Walton, 1949b R. sphenocephala USA Walton, 1949c Salamandridae Notophthalmus viridescens USA McAllister, 1990 Triturus carnifex Italy Present study Lissotriton vulgaris Italy Present study Amphiumidae Amphiuma tridactylum USA Clinostomum sp. Bennett & Humes, 1938 Ambystomatidae Ambystoma tigrinum USA Perpiñ a ´n et al., 2010 Ranidae Rana berlandieri Mexico Leó n-Règagnon et al., 2005 R. catesbeiana USA Muzzall, 1991a; Goldberg et al., 1998;Lemke et al., 2008 R. chiricahuensis USA Goldberg et al., 1998 R. yavapaiensis USA Goldberg et al., 1998 R. clamitans USA Muzzall et al., 2001;Yoder et al., 2001 R. pipiens USA Gilliland & Muzzall, 1999;Schotthoefer et al., 2011 Lithobates sp. Mexico Cabrera Guzmán et al., 2010 Salamandridae Notophthalmus viridescens USA Muzzall, 1991b Hylidae Hyla regilla USA/Mexico Ranidae Rana aurora USA Ingles, 1936 R. boylii USA Ingles, 1936 R. pipiens agricultural intensification and agrochemical pollution, and the introduction of predatory fish and pathogenic agents, including parasites. ...
... Bonett et al. (2011) described C. marginatum in two species of the plethodontid salamander using morphological and molecular methods. In addition to these reports, many authors have reported unidentified metacercariae of Clinostomum during surveys of the helminths of amphibians ( Goldberg et al., 1998Muzzall et al., 2001;Yoder et al., 2001;Kuperman et al., 2004;Léon-Règagnon et al., 2005;King et al., 2008;Lemke et al., 2008;Cabrera-Guzmán et al., 2010;Perpiñ a ´n et al., 2010;Schotthoefer et al., 2011). The morphological features observed in all the specimens from the newts examined during the present survey were consistent with C. complanatum metacercariae. ...
