Morphological and molecular characterization of Apatemon sp. infecting killifish in Mozambique

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Authors

NEZHYBOVÁ Veronika BLAŽEK Radim KAŠNÝ Martin SLAIMKOVÁ Daniela LEONTOVYČ Roman ONDRAČKOVÁ Markéta

Year of publication 2019
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Parasitology International
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Science

Citation
Web https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S138357691830312X?via%3Dihub
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.parint.2019.101967
Keywords Apatemon; Strigeidae; Nothobranchius furzeri; Morphology; Africa; Taxonomy
Description Strigeid trematodes of the genus Apatemon Szidat, 1928 are intestinal parasites of fish-eating birds, utilizing various fish species as second intermediate hosts. In this study, we report morphometrical and molecular characterization of Apatemon sp. metacercariae parasitizing killifish Nothobranchius furzeri (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae) in south-east Mozambique. Metacercariae obtained from the cerebral cavity of killifish and two adult individuals isolated from experimentally infected ducklings were used for detailed morphological and molecular description, both resulting in generic affiliation to Apatemon. This is the first molecularly confirmed record of this trematode genus in Africa. Considering the morphological variability and wide host range of individual Apatemon species, the combination of both morphological and molecular analyses is indispensable for valid identification of this parasite. The results of our molecular analysis together with phylogenetic reconstruction indicated the presence of a new African lineage, reflecting potentially high diversity within the genus Apatemon comparable with other digenean genera.
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