Abstract
The prevalence of infection and the identification of anisakid larvae in European hake Merluccius merluccius lessepsianus from Hurghada City, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, were investigated. Fish samples were collected during the period of February and November 2014. Twenty-two (36.66%) out of sixty examined fish specimens were found to be naturally infected with Anisakis type I larvae mostly found as encapsulated larvae in visceral organs. There was a positive relationship between host length/weight and prevalence of infection. Based on morphological, morphometric, and molecular analyses, these nematodes were identified as third-stage larvae of Anisakis simplex. The present study was considered as the first report of anisakid larvae from European hake in the Egyptian water.
Highlights
Nematode larvae of the genus Anisakis Dujardin [1] (Nematoda: Anisakidae) are common parasites of marine fish with a worldwide distribution [2]
Molecular tools can overcome this limitation and allow the genus- or speciesspecific identification of anisakids [12]. Recent molecular techniques such as allozyme analysis, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCRRFLP), and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region (ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2) of ribosomal DNA revealed that the Anisakis species consisted of 8 valid species, 5 species: Anisakis simplex, Anisakis pegreffi, Anisakis typica, Anisakis ziphidarum, and Anisakis sp. and 3 species: Anisakis physeteris, Anisakis brevispiculata, and Anisakis paggiae in the Anisakis type I and Anisakis type II groupings, respectively [13]
Twenty-two (36.66%) out of sixty examined specimens of European hake M. merluccius lessepsianus were generally found to be naturally infected with Anisakis larvae
Summary
Nematode larvae of the genus Anisakis Dujardin [1] (Nematoda: Anisakidae) are common parasites of marine fish with a worldwide distribution [2]. These nematodes have a complex life cycle involving organisms at various levels of a trophic web in the marine ecosystem [3]. Fish and squid are the intermediate or paratenic hosts of the parasites, whereas marine mammals mainly cetaceans are the definitive ones [4] Adult forms for these parasites found in the gastrointestinal tract of a specific vertebrate host and the life cycles of numerous taxa involve the development of larval stages in one or more intermediate hosts [5]. Recent molecular techniques such as allozyme analysis, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCRRFLP), and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region (ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2) of ribosomal DNA revealed that the Anisakis species consisted of 8 valid species, 5 species: Anisakis simplex, Anisakis pegreffi, Anisakis typica, Anisakis ziphidarum, and Anisakis sp. and 3 species: Anisakis physeteris, Anisakis brevispiculata, and Anisakis paggiae in the Anisakis type I and Anisakis type II groupings, respectively [13]
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