DAO 134:107-111 (2019) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03361
NOTE
Severe outbreak of Centrocestus formosanus (Trematoda: Heterophyidae) in farm-raised ornamental platies Xiphophorus maculatus
Marcia P. Leibowitz1, Nathália R. V. Santos1, Guilherme C. Tavares1, Gabriella B. N. Assis2, Fernanda A. Dorella2, Henrique C. P. Figueiredo1,2, Carlos A. G. Leal1,2,*
ABSTRACT: This report describes a severe outbreak of the gill fluke Centrocestus formosanus in farm-raised platies Xiphophorus maculatus in Brazil, with mortality rate approaching 95%. Typical clinical signs of infection were observed, with microscopic examinations of fresh gills revealing multiple cysts containing a once-folded metacercaria with an X-shaped excretory bladder. The 18S subunit of the metacercariae (BR1) was amplified by PCR, sequenced and analyzed by BLAST. Subsequent phylogenetic analyses revealed that the BR1 isolate was closely related to C. formosanus from Thailand. This is the first report of C. formosanus in ornamental fish in Brazil. Our observations suggest that platies are highly sensitive to this digenetic parasite. Controlling population densities of the parasite’s intermediate host, the snail Melanoides tuberculata, would help to reduce outbreaks.
KEY WORDS: Centrocestus formosanus · Gill fluke · Digenetic trematodes · Xiphophorus maculatus · Ornamental fish · Platy · Metacercariae · Zoonosis
| Full text in pdf format | Cite this article as: Leibowitz MP, Santos NRV, Tavares GC, Assis GBN, Dorella FA, Figueiredo HCP, Leal CAG
(2019) Severe outbreak of Centrocestus formosanus (Trematoda: Heterophyidae) in farm-raised ornamental platies Xiphophorus maculatus. Dis Aquat Org 134:107-111. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03361
Export citation Share: Facebook - - linkedIn |
| Previous article Next article |