Infection of the Carpathian brook lamprey (Eudontomyzon danfordi Regan, 1911) with a dermocystid parasite in the Tisza River Basin, Hungary.

Boglárka Sellyei,Ádám Varga,László Antal,Gábor Cech,Krisztián Nyeste,Dóra Somogyi,Csaba Székely,Kálmán Molnár

doi:10.1111/jfd.13259

Abstract

The Carpathian brook lamprey (Eudontomyzon danfordi Regan, 1911) is an endemic protected species of Cephalaspidomorphi in the Carpathian Basin. No parasites have become known from these jawless vertebrates to date. Here, the authors describe an infection from a single specimen manifesting in protuberant skin cysts 7-10mm in diameter, scattered on the body surface. Similar dermal infection was observed in 25 of the 274 lampreys recorded in the population survey. Skin cysts filled with round spore-like structures of a dermocystid parasite were found. These particles measured 8-14µm in diameter and had an about 0.5µm thick wall, and containing mainly a granular mass and a relatively scarce plasma. No hyphae were recorded. Despite conspicuous morphological changes in the skin, no inflammatory reactions were found. The molecular analysis of 18S rDNA showed similarity to dermocystid species of several fish species but differed from them approximately by 2%. This is the first record of a dermocystid parasite infecting a jawless vertebrate.

Highlights

Three lamprey species have been recorded from the Carpathian Basin (Kottelat & Freyhof, 2007)
We report infection by a dermocystid parasite causing cysts on the skin of the Carpathian brook lamprey, which was collected from a small stream in the Tisza River basin
Dermocystid parasite from the Carpathian brook lamprey was positioned in a monophyletic group

Summary

| INTRODUCTION

Three lamprey species have been recorded from the Carpathian Basin (Kottelat & Freyhof, 2007). The Ukrainian brook lamprey Eudontomyzon mariae (Berg, 1931) is known from the drainage of the Danube River, the range of Carpathian brook lamprey Eudontomyzon danfordi Regan, 1911 is restricted to the Upper Tisza region and its tributaries while the Danubian brook lamprey Eudontomyzon vladykovi Oliva & Zanandrea, 1959 is distributed in the drainage area of the upper and middle Danube region (Kottelat & Freyhof, 2007). We report infection by a dermocystid parasite causing cysts on the skin of the Carpathian brook lamprey, which was collected from a small stream in the Tisza River basin

| MATERIALS AND METHODS

| Molecular methods

Findings

| DISCUSSION