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Redefining the genus Spraguea based on ultrastructural and phylogenetic data from Spraguea gastrophysus n. sp. (Phylum Microsporidia), a parasite found in Lophius gastrophysus (Teleostei) from Brazil

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Abstract

The ultrastructure of the fish-infecting microsporidium Spraguea gastrophysus found in the dorsal ganglia and kidney of the anglerfish, Lophius gastrophysus (family Lophiidae) collected on the Brazilian Atlantic coast is described. Each whitish xenoma (up to 3.1 × 1.8 mm) contains several groups of parasites. The host cells are hypertrophied and contain various parasite life stages including mature spores and several developmental stages with unpaired nuclei. Monomorphic spores are ellipsoidal, lightly curved and measure about 3.35 × 1.71 μm. The spore contains a gradually tapering isofilar polar filament with five to six coils arranged in a single row. The nucleus occupies a central zone of the sporoplasm where also several polyribosomes are presented. The posterior vacuole contains a voluminous spherical and granular posterosome measuring up to ~0.65 μm in diameter. The partial small subunit, intergenic spacer and partial large subunit rRNA gene were sequenced and the phylogenetic analysis places the microsporidian described here in the clade that includes all sequences of the Spraguea genus. The ultrastructural morphology of the xenoma and the spores of this microsporidian parasite, as well as the molecular and phylogenetic analysis, suggest the description of a new species. A redefining of the genus Spraguea is also done.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported by Eng. A. Almeida Foundation, Porto, Portugal, “CNPq” and “CAPES”, Brazil. We appreciate the technical assistance of J. Carvalheiro (ICBAS/UP) and Nilza Felizardo (UFF). This work is original and complies with the current laws of the countries in which it has been performed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto (ICBAS/UP), Lg. A. Salazar no. 2, 4099-003, Porto, Portugal

    Graça Casal & Carlos Azevedo

  2. Laboratory of Pathology, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine Environmental Research, University of Porto (CIIMAR/UP), Gandra, Portugal

    Graça Casal & Carlos Azevedo

  3. Departamento de Ciências, Instituto Superior de Ciências da Saúde - Norte, CESPU, Gandra, Portugal

    Graça Casal

  4. Laboratory of Inspection and Technology of Food, Faculty of Veterinary, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói, Brazil

    Sérgio C. S. Clemente

  5. Laboratory of Histology of Aquatic Animals, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil

    Patrícia Matos

  6. Laboratory of Helminth Parasites of Vertebrates, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Marcelo Knoff

  7. Carlos Azevedo Research Laboratory, Federal Rural University of Amazonia, Belém, Brazil

    Edilson Matos

  8. Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Abdel A. Abdel-Baki & Carlos Azevedo

  9. Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt

    Abdel A. Abdel-Baki

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  1. Graça Casal
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  2. Sérgio C. S. Clemente
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  7. Carlos Azevedo
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Correspondence to Carlos Azevedo.

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Casal, G., Clemente, S.C.S., Matos, P. et al. Redefining the genus Spraguea based on ultrastructural and phylogenetic data from Spraguea gastrophysus n. sp. (Phylum Microsporidia), a parasite found in Lophius gastrophysus (Teleostei) from Brazil. Parasitol Res 111, 79–88 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2803-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-011-2803-8

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