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Scanning electron microscopy of eggs of Eucoleus contortus parasitizing the esophagus of Cairina moschata domestica in Pará State, Brazil. (a) Anterior end in button shape (arrowhead). Bar = 50 μm; (b) well defined stichocytes (st) with large and fragmented nuclei. Bar = 100 μm; (c) Esophageal-intestinal junction of the female, lateral view. End of stichocytes (st), vulva (v) and eggs (eg). Bar = 100 μm; (d) Female posterior extremity, lateral view, subterminal anal opening (arrowhead). Bar = 50 μm; (e) Tail of the male, ventral view, with retracted spiny spinal sheath (ss), caudal lobes (lo) and pseudobursa (ps). Bar = 50 μm; (f ) Posterior end of a male, ventrolateral view, sheath extruded from cloaca (ss). Bar = 50 μm.
Source publication
The family Capillariidae is one of the most important in the superfamily Trichinelloidea, with 27 genera and more than 300 species parasitizing vertebrates. This study considers the morphology, morphometry and prevalence of Eucoleus contortus parasitizing the Muscovy duck Cairina moschata domestica esophagus from Marajó Island, in State of Pará, Br...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... Rudolphi, 1808 Family Capillariidae Neveu- Lemaire, 1936 Eucoleus contortus (syn. Capillaria contorta) Creplin, 1839 (Gagarin, 1951) (Based on light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy examination: Figures 1-3) Medium-sized nematodes in relation to their congeners, filiform, with finely transversely striated cuticle. Cephalic region in button (Figures 1a, 2a). ...
Context 2
... contorta) Creplin, 1839 (Gagarin, 1951) (Based on light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy examination: Figures 1-3) Medium-sized nematodes in relation to their congeners, filiform, with finely transversely striated cuticle. Cephalic region in button (Figures 1a, 2a). Oral aperture circular. ...
Context 3
... ring circulating the muscular esophagus in its initial portion. Stichosome consisting of single row of about 33 elongate stichocytes with distinct transverse annulae (mean of the three initial, middle and final stichocytes); nuclei of stichocytes large and fragmented (Figure 1b). Two wing-like pseudocoelomatic glandular cells present at esophagus-intestinal junction. ...
Context 4
... opening terminal, length of tail 13. Membrane pseudobursa present 13 (10-15) × 24 (23)(24)(25)(26)(27) (Figures 1e, 2e). ...
Context 5
... lip of the vulva is more elevated than the lower lip. Vulvar appendix absent. Eggs arranged in single file in uterus. Eggs barrel shaped 50 (40-90) × 20 (20-40), with protruding polar plugs 6 (3-7) × 9 (5-9) (Fig. 3ab). Egg wall with layer hyaline, outer layer with fine superficial net-like sculpture. Caudal end rounded 8 (7-10), anus subterminal (Fig. ...
Similar publications
Capillaria Zeder, 1800, parasitizes the organs and tissues of several hosts, including the domestic duck Cairina moschata (Linnaeus). This article describes a new species of Capillaria in domestic ducks identified based on morphological studies and molecular analyses of the ribosomal RNA gene. Thirty-eight specimens of C. moschata from the municipa...
Citations
... Unlike Halomonhystera spp., another nematode Eucoleus spp. are common parasites in birds and are widely distributed in the world [10,15,20,59]. Overall, given that these parasites found in black-necked cranes have a wide host range and their transmission is mainly through the fecal-oral route, we suggest that there is a high risk of cross-transmission between blacknecked cranes and other wild animals in Dashanbao, which should be paid greater attention. ...
Parasites and free-living amoebae (FLA) are common pathogens that pose threats to wildlife and humans. The black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis) is a near-threatened species and there is a shortage of research on its parasite diversity. Our study aimed to use noninvasive methods to detect intestinal parasites and pathogenic FLA in G. nigricollis using high-throughput sequencing (HTS) based on the 18S rDNA V9 region. A total of 38 fresh fecal samples were collected in Dashanbao, China, during the overwintering period (early-, middle I-, middle II-, and late-winter). Based on the 18S data, eight genera of parasites were identified, including three protozoan parasites: Eimeria sp. (92.1%) was the dominant parasite, followed by Tetratrichomonas sp. (36.8%) and Theileria sp. (2.6%). Five genera of helminths were found: Echinostoma sp. (100%), Posthodiplostomum sp. (50.0%), Euryhelmis sp. (26.3%), Eucoleus sp. (50.0%), and Halomonhystera sp. (2.6%). Additionally, eight genera of FLA were detected, including the known pathogens Acanthamoeba spp. (n = 13) and Allovahlkampfia spp. (n = 3). Specific PCRs were used to further identify the species of some parasites and FLA. Furthermore, the 18S data indicated significant changes in the relative abundance and genus diversity of the protozoan parasites and FLA among the four periods. These results underscore the importance of long-term monitoring of pathogens in black-necked cranes to protect this near-endangered species.
... Remarks: The morphological features of E. perforans specimens collected in the present study were consistent with those of species reported by Sakaguchi et al. (2020), except for egg-shell ornamentation. Reticulated ornamentation of the egg-shell surface has been reported in all three Eucoleus spp., E. annulatus (Molin 1858), E. contortus, and E. perforans, which are prevalent in domestic fowls (Carvalho et al. 2019;Borba et al. 2021); however, Baruš and Sergejeva (1989b) and Sakaguchi et al. (2020) observed a smooth egg-shell surface for E. perforans. Irrespective of such morphological differences, the SSU rDNA sequences of two E. perforans isolates with reticulated and smooth egg surfaces were identical, as mentioned above. ...
We performed a parasitological examination of the gastrointestinal tract of farmed ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus karpowi) on two farms in Ehime, Japan. Fecal examination through flotation and sedimentation methods (43, 103, and 50 samples in three consecutive years from 2020, respectively) detected coccidian oocysts (5–58%), or capillarid (40–56%) and heterakid eggs (45–72%). Following artificial sporology, most sporulated coccidian oocysts were ellipsoidal without micropyle nor residuum, but with 1–3 polar refractile granules, morphologically reminiscent of Eimeria phasiani (Apicomplexa: Eucoccidiorida: Eimeriidae). Intensive sequencing of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (cox-1) using pan-eimerian primers and multiple oocyst samples from different pheasants indicated a single species. We characterized, for the first time, the cox-1 sequence of E. phasiani, known to be prevalent in wild and captive ring-necked pheasants worldwide. Worm recovery under a dissection microscope revealed two capillariid and one heterakid nematode species: Eucoleus perforans (Nematoda: Trichocephalida: Capillariidae) in the esophageal epithelium (prevalence, 8–73%), Capillaria phasianina (Capillariidae) in the cecal mucosa (10–87%), and Heterakis gallinarum (Nematoda: Ascaridida: Heterakidae) in the cecal lumen (69–88%). The small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rDNA) of E. perforans was perfectly identical to that in a previous isolate from farmed Japanese green pheasants (Phasianus colchicus versicolor) at a distant locality in Japan. The SSU rDNA of C. phasianina was characterized, for the first time, demonstrating a sister relationship with Capillaria anatis, parasites found in the ceca of domestic ducks, geese, and various wild anatid birds.
... On Marajó Island, birds are raised extensively, making these animals generalists in their diet; thus, they can act as paratenic hosts by ingesting infected fish viscera or becoming infected after filtering water containing microcrustaceans parasitized by nematodes or eggs (Carvalho et al., 2020). On Marajó Island, Muscovy ducks are commonly used by the local population for food and commercial purposes (Carvalho et al., 2019(Carvalho et al., , 2021. ...
... In Brazil, four capillariid species have been identified among the parasitic fauna of C. moschata as follows: Capillaria phasianina Kotlán, 1914;Capillaria sp. Pinto and Almeida, 1935, and Eucoleus cairinae (Freitas & Almeida, 1935) Lopez & Neyra, 1947and Eucoleus contortus Creplin, 1989, in Pará (Vicente et al., 1995;Mattos et al., 2008;Carvalho et al., 2019). This study describes a new nematode species of the genus Capillaria Zeder, 1800, that was found to infect Muscovy ducks in the Brazilian Amazon based on morphological data and phylogenetic analyses. ...
... The morphological details of capillariids, such as the anterior extremity, bacillary bands, and tail, are not visible under light microscopy (Moravec, 2001a;Moravec & Barton, 2018;Carvalho et al., 2019). In this study, we observed the conical shape of the cephalic region with large and flat papillae in both males and females using SEM. ...
Capillaria Zeder, 1800, parasitizes the organs and tissues of several hosts, including the domestic duck Cairina moschata (Linnaeus). This article describes a new species of Capillaria in domestic ducks identified based on morphological studies and molecular analyses of the ribosomal RNA gene. Thirty-eight specimens of C. moschata from the municipality of Soure, Marajó Island, Pará, Brazil. The organs of the birds' digestive tract were analyzed under a stereomicroscope to confirm the parasitic infection, after which the collected nematodes were identified by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and molecular analysis. Capillariids parasitized the intestine and cecum of the examined birds. These parasites had three bacillary bands and a pair of elongated precloacal papillae on the tail. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the new species formed a sister clade with Capillaria spinulosa (Linstow, 1890), as described in Indonesia and Japan. Based on morphological distinctions and molecular data, Capillaria cairina n. sp. can be considered a new parasite species of C. moschata in the Brazilian Amazon.
... However, the identification of Capillariidae to species or even genus by morphology alone is one of the most complicated and challenging tasks among all nematodes. Consequently, controversies on some taxon remain until now [4,6,7]. Some taxonomic experts have proposed several new genera and synonymies of capillariids and suggested reclassifying this group [1,3]. ...
Background
The family Capillariidae is a group of thread-like nematodes of 27 genera and over 300 species that infect a great variety of hosts including humans. Among these, some taxa such as the genus Aonchotheca have remained controversial regarding their systematic status for decades. The aim of the current study was to verify Aonchotheca ’s systemic status and to further determine whether it is a distinct genus from Capillaria using molecular and phylogenetic analyses.
Results
We sequenced the mitochondrial (mt) genome and nuclear small subunit (18S) rRNA gene of Aonchotheca putorii , a representative species of the genus, and investigated its systematic status in Trichinellida using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. The differences in amino acid sequences of 13 protein-coding genes were 12.69–67.35% among Aonchotheca , Capillaria , Eucoleus , and Pseudocapillaria with cox 1 (12.69%) and atp 8 (67.35%) as the most and the least conserved gene, respectively, and the difference of two mt rRNAs was 18.61–34.15%. Phylogenetic analyses of the complete mt genome and 18S rRNAs unequivocally showed that Aonchotheca was a distinct genus from Capillaria .
Conclusions
Large difference exists among Aonchotheca , Capillaria , Eucoleus, and Pseudocapillarias . Aonchotheca putorii is the first species in the genus Aonchotheca for which a complete mitogenome has been sequenced. These data are useful for phylogenetics, systematics and the evolution of Capillariidae.
Graphical Abstract
... Histopathological changes caused by the presence of Eucoleus contortus, Anisakis sp., Contracaecum sp., are recorded herein for the first time in our research parasitizing the esophagus and ventricle of Muscovy duck in Brazil. These birds raised without confinement, look for food in areas of rivers or lakes, with no selectivity in feeding (Meulen and Dikken, 2003), which may justify the presence of these anisakid and capillary nematodes in birds (Carvalho et al., 2019(Carvalho et al., , 2020. Different studies have been carried out in order to characterize the parasitic fauna of ducks around the world. ...
The Muscovy duck is a commercially important bird on the island of Marajó usually raised in a peculiar system that includes supplying fish viscera to the birds under semi-extensive farming conditions. This enables a risk of contamination and losses in the production of these birds, resulting from injuries caused by helminth infections, especially nematodes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the histopathological changes caused by nematodes of the genera: Eucoleus, Anisakis and Contracaecum. Thirty-three ducks with lesions in the esophagus and ventricle were analyzed. Histopathological exams showed a mild inflammatory infiltrate in the submucosa of the esophagus caused by the fixation of E. contortus and third stage larvae of Anisakis sp., and we recorded third stage larvae of Contracaecum sp. parasitizing the ventricle, this being the first record of this parasite in ducks in Brazil.
... Although ducks have great physical resistance, they are susceptible to disease because they are particularly prone to infections caused by parasitic helminths (Gower 1939;Mattos-Junior et al. 2008). However, the helminth infections of the Muskovy ducks C. moschata domestica have been poorly studied (Carvalho et al. 2019), despite possible losses in terms of reduced body growth and mortality in breeding, as well as the presence of helminths with zoonotic potential. Carvalho et al. (2020) described the first report of Anisakis sp. ...
... Nematoda Brazil Machado et al. (2006) Capillaria sp. Nematoda Brazil Vicente et al. (1995) Capillaria Machado et al. (2006) Ophthalmophagus magalha˜esi Travassos, 1921Trematoda Brazil Machado et al. (2006 Zigocotyle lunatum Diesing, 1836 Trematoda Brazil Machado et al. (2006) Typhlocoelum cucumerinum Rudolphi, 1809 Trematoda Brazil Machado et al. (2006) domestic animals (Muhairwa et al. 2007;Mattos-Junior et al. 2008;Carvalho et al. 2019Carvalho et al. , 2020 As there are few studies about helminths in C. moschata domestica, the knowledge related to diversity of these parasites is consequently limited, and the community structure of endohelminths is unknown so far. Several patterns associated with parasitic communities of different animal host populations can be detected through quantitative descriptors as diversity index and species richness (Magurran 2004). ...
... The organs are placed in airtight bags, identified and transported in an isothermal box containing ice. In the laboratory, all the duck parts were weighed in a balance (Ramuzatron 15 BAT, Brazil), and organs were separated, individualized, and placed in Petri dishes with NaCl 0.9% solution and examined in less than 24 h, using a stereomicroscope (LEICA-ES2) using ampliation from 5 x (Carvalho et al. 2019). The contents of the lumen and wall were individualized in Petri dish and analyzed separately using a stereomicroscope (LEICA-ES2) using ampliation from 5 x. ...
Raising of Muscovy ducks Cairina moschata domestica for subsistence of human populations is common in northern Brazil, although their helminth infections have been poorly investigated, despite the possible presence of helminths with zoonotic potential. The aim of this study was to investigate the diversity of parasite endohelminths in C. moschata domestica raised in the Marajó Island region, state of Pará, Brazilian Amazon region. Of 33 specimens examined, 90.9% were parasitized by one or more parasite species, for a total of 926 parasites recorded. The species mean richness of endohelminths varied from 0 to 6, and there was a predominance of hosts with 1 to 2 species of parasite endohelminths and low prevalence and low abundance of parasites. This was the first report of larvae of Anisakis sp., Contracaecum sp., Hysterotylacium sp., Raphidascaris sp., Eustrongylides sp., Syngamus sp., Ascocotyle sp. and Athesmia heterolecithodes for C. moschata domestica. The parasitic community of C. moschata domestica was composed of 11 species, with a high species richness for nematode species and a small number of digeneans.
... A long esophagus occupying about one-third to half the body length (stichosome), characteristics of the male caudal end and barrel-shaped eggs with bipolar plugs in female specimens are considered the key morphological features for their classification (Moravec, 1982;Anderson et al., 2009;Gibbons, 2010). The accurate identification of capillariid nematodes, based on morphological features alone, remains fairly difficult and unsatisfactory for non-experts (Carvalho et al., 2019). The family Capillariidae currently contains 27 genera (Gibbons, 2010). ...
... The family Capillariidae currently contains 27 genera (Gibbons, 2010). Among them, the taxonomy and systematics of Capillaria (Zeder, 1800) and Eucoleus (Dujardin, 1845) remained considerably controversial (Carvalho et al., 2019). The genus Eucoleus was either considered as a synonym of Capillaria (Anderson et al., 2009) or accepted as a valid genus (Moravec, 1982;Gibbons, 2010). ...
Capillariid nematode is a group of endoparasites of vertebrates with a complex taxonomy, causing significant economic losses to poultry industry. The taxonomic status of the genus Eucoleus remained controversial for several decades. Mitochondrial (mt) DNA provides useful genetic markers for accurate identification of species, but complete mt genome have been lacking for any Capillariid nematodes. In the present study, we decoded the complete mt genome of E. annulatus and examined its phylogenetic relationship with selected members of the class Enoplea nematodes. The circular mt genome of E. annulatus was 14,118 bp, encoded 37 genes with a single non-coding region and showed substantial gene rearrangements (especially tRNA genes) compared to other nematodes studied to date. The complete mt genome of E. annulatus showed a clear A + T bias in nucleotide composition. The number of A (5404) was approximately equal to T (5405) and the GC-skew was negative on average (−0.073). Phylogenetic analyses based on 18S rDNA placed Eucoleus spp. well apart from each other and supported the proposal that Eucoleus and Capillaria are two distinct genera. Similarly, Bayesian inference (BI) and Maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenies based on mtDNA sequences revealed that the family Capillariidae is more closely related to the family Trichuridae than to the family Trichinellidae. This is the first report of the complete mt genome of capillariid nematodes, and it will provide additional genetic makers for studying the molecular epidemiology, population genetics and systematics of capillariid nematodes and should have implications for the molecular diagnosis, prevention, and control of capillariosis in animals.
... Eucoleus contortus (Creplin, 1839) (Enoplida: Capillariidae) was collected from the esophagus of three individuals, with 10% (3/30) prevalence ( Table 2). This nematode is frequently found in the esophagus of a wide variety of aquatic birds such as gulls, grebes, cormorants and ducks in Europe (Bosch et al., 2000;Sanmartín et al., 2005;Álvarez et al., 2006;Santoro et al., 2011), North America (Fedynich et al., 1997;Threlfall et al., 1982), Asia (Yoshino et al., 2009), and South America (Brazil and Chile) (Monteiro et al., 2011;González-Acuña et al., 2017;Carvalho et al., 2019). Eucoleus contortus was reported for the first time in Chile parasitizing Podiceps occipitalis (Podicipedidae) (González-Acuña et al., 2017); it is suspected that it could be an accidental infestation because of sharing the habitat with potential hosts. ...
Parasitological studies of the Franklin’s gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan, are scarce, and knowledge about its endoparasites is quite limited. In order to describe its parasitic community, a total of 60 Franklin’s gulls were captured in the coastal area in central Chile, using modified Bal-chatri traps. Ectoparasites were collected from all 60 live individuals through inspection of their plumage, while 30 were examined for endoparasites by standard parasitological necropsy. The prevalence of ectoparasites was 78.3%, including the feather mite Zachvatkinia larica (43.3%) and four species of lice: Actornithophilus piceus lari (15.0%), Austromenopon transversum (6.7%), Quadraceps punctatus (10.0%) and Saemundssonia lari (46.7%). Some 25 of 30 (83.3%) of birds necropsied were parasitized with the following helminths: Aporchis sp. (6.7%), Tetrabothrius cylindraceus (56.7%), Cyclophyllidea gen. sp. (3.3%), Profilicollis altmani (56.7%), Eucoleus contortus (10.0%), Cosmocephalus obvelatus (13.3%), Paracuaria adunca (10.0%), Stegophorus sp. (3.3%) and Tetrameres skrjabini (3.3%). To our knowledge, with the exception of P. altmani, these helminths are reported for first time in the Franklin’s gull.
Capillariids are a family of parasitic nematodes characterised by significant fluctuations of the taxo-
nomic value of morphological features at the genus and species levels. Here, we present the results of
a study identifying features of Baruscapillaria obsignata and Aonchoteca bursata, obtained from
domestic chickens. Aside from the morphological differences in the studied capillariid species, sig-
nificant differences in 14 metrical parameters of males and in 8 in females were found out. The com-
parative metrical analysis of eggs revealed significant differences in 4 parameters between
B. obsignata and A. bursata. According to the conducted analysis, metrical comparative indices may
enhance and increase the effectiveness of species identification based on the species-specific features
of males and females.
