Differential survival of 3rd stage larvae of Contracaecum rudolphii type B infecting common bream (Abramis brama) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

C. Székely,K. Buchmann,T. Müller,B. Nowak,K. Molnár,P. W. Kania,S. Zuo,F. Baska

doi:10.1007/s00436-019-06441-4

Abstract

The main fish host reaction to an infection with third stage anisakid nematode larvae is a response in which host immune cells (macrophages, granulocytes, lymphocytes) in affected internal organs initially are attracted to the parasite whereafter fibroblasts may enclose the parasite forming granuloma. Generally, the reaction is non-lethal to the parasite which may survive for years in the fish host retaining infectivity to the final host. This may also apply for the anisakid nematode Contracaecum rudolphii (having the adult stage in cormorants, using copepods as first intermediate/paratenic host and zooplankton feeding fish as paratenic hosts). The present study has shown that most Contracaecum rudolphii larvae survive in bream (Abramis brama) (from Lake Balaton, Hungary) whereas the majority of the nematode larvae die in Cyprinus carpio (from Lake Hévíz, directly connected to Lake Balaton). Both cyprinid host species interacted with the nematode larvae through establishing a marked cellular encapsulation around them but with different effects. The differential survival in common carp and bream may theoretically be explained by ecological factors, such as the environmental temperature which either directly or indirectly affect the development of nematode larvae, and/or intrinsic host factors, such as differential immune responses and host genetics.

Highlights

Third stage larvae of the anisakid nematode Contracaecum rudolphii Hartwich, 1964, are commonly occurring parasites in a range of fish species (Moravec 1994)Section Editor: Shokoofeh ShamsiParasitol Res (2019) 118:2811–2817Third stage larvae of Contracaecum spp. accumulate mostly in the mesentery and the intestinal serosa of fish but may reside in the intestinal wall and liver
When teleosts are infected by anisakid nematode larvae, they often react by enclosing the worm in a layer of host cells forming a granuloma (Buchmann 2012; Santoro et al 2013; Corrêa et al 2015; Dezfuli et al 2016)
We describe an elevated survival of C. rudolphi larvae in a common bream (Abramis brama L.), compared with a low survival rate of the same parasite species in a common carp (Cyprinus carpio L)

Summary

Introduction

Third stage larvae of the anisakid nematode Contracaecum rudolphii Hartwich, 1964, are commonly occurring parasites in a range of fish species (mainly cyprinids) (Moravec 1994)Section Editor: Shokoofeh ShamsiParasitol Res (2019) 118:2811–2817Third stage larvae of Contracaecum spp. accumulate mostly in the mesentery and the intestinal serosa of fish but may reside in the intestinal wall and liver. Third stage larvae of the anisakid nematode Contracaecum rudolphii Hartwich, 1964, are commonly occurring parasites in a range of fish species (mainly cyprinids) (Moravec 1994). The genus Contracaecum has a worldwide distribution and includes a range of species which are commonly found in fish serving as paratenic hosts and employ warm-blooded animals (birds, pinnipeds) as final hosts (Mattiucci and Nascetti 2008; Aydogdu et al 2011; Waicheim et al 2014; Corrêa et al 2015; Tavakol et al 2015; Dezfuli et al 2016; Zuo et al 2018). We describe an elevated survival of C. rudolphi larvae in a common bream (Abramis brama L.), compared with a low survival rate of the same parasite species in a common carp (Cyprinus carpio L)

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Conclusion