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Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Myxobolus nkondjockei sp. nov. (Myxozoa: Myxobolidae), A Parasite of Labeo batesii Boulenger, 1911 (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Makombè River in Cameroon

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Abstract

Purpose

Myxozoans are economically important group of metazoan parasites, which can cause diseases in a large variety of commercially important fishes. Increased knowledge on molecular features has shown that traditional descriptive characters may be misleading. Combination of both descriptive and molecular features is therefore necessary for an integrated taxonomic assessment.

Methods

Cyprinid Labeo batesii, sampled in the Makombè River at Nkondjock in Cameroon were examined for myxosporeans. Identification of parasite species was based on morphological and molecular sequence analyses of myxospores. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods.

Results

The scales of L. batesii were infected by Myxobolus nkondjockei sp. nov Their mature myxospores are ovoid in frontal view and lenticular in lateral view, with two rounded ends. These myxospores measured 10.3 (10–10.9) μm length and 8.0 (7.3–8.5) μm width. Myxospores have two ovoid and equal sizes polar capsules. They measured 4.5 (4.0–5.0) µm in length and 2.4 (2–2.9) µm in width. Polar tubules were coiled in 4–5 turns perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the polar capsules. Phylogenetic analysis of the 18S rDNA sequence show clustering of M. nkondjockei sp. n. close to an undetermined species Myxobolus sp. reported infecting gill lamellas of Labeo rohita from India.

Conclusion

The morphological, molecular and phylogenetic data provided for M. nkondjockei sp. n. are solid basis for further identification of this myxozoan of which pathogenicity probably plays an economic role at culturing the hosts.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Research Supporting Project (RSP- 2021/75), King Saud University (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). Part of this work was supported by budget funding of RAS (project 121030100028-0“Regularities of formation and anthropogenic transformation of biodiversity and biological resources of the Azov-Black Sea basin and other areas of the World Ocean” (Russian Federation).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Parasitology and Ecology, Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, PO Box: 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Guy Benoît Lekeufack-Folefack, Bienvenu Feudjio-Dongmo & Abraham Fomena

  2. Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), PO Box 13501, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Billy Tene-Fossog & Charles S. wondji

  3. Vector Biology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK

    Billy Tene-Fossog & Charles S. wondji

  4. Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, PO Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Jameel Al-Tamimi & Lamjed Mansour

  5. A. O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS, 2 Nakhimov Av., 299011, Sevastopol, Russian Federation

    Violetta M. Yurakhno

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  1. Guy Benoît Lekeufack-Folefack
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Lekeufack-Folefack, G.B., Feudjio-Dongmo, B., Tene-Fossog, B. et al. Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Myxobolus nkondjockei sp. nov. (Myxozoa: Myxobolidae), A Parasite of Labeo batesii Boulenger, 1911 (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from Makombè River in Cameroon. Acta Parasit. 67, 1573–1583 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-022-00609-2

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