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First Molecular Identification of a Goussia Parasite from a New World Invasive Blenny

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Abstract

Purpose

Introduced or invasive fish are susceptible to new parasites but can simultaneously carry infectious parasites from their native range towards new hosts. Screening these parasites is key to address the health of fish populations and spread of diseases.

Methods

In this study, we sequenced a Coccidia parasite, for the first time from the blenny Omobranchus sewalli, introduced in the northern coast of Brazil with an Indo-Pacific origin.

Results

Only one individual was infected, its genetic sequence matched (over 99%) with two lineages of undetermined species, belonging to the genus Goussia, sequenced from three marine fish species (Mulloidichthys flavolineatus, Lutjanus kasmira, and Selar crumenophthalmus) in Hawaii.

Conclusions

Phylogenetic analysis suggests considerable differentiation between the Goussia detected and other Goussia spp. sequenced from North Atlantic marine fish, thus we cannot exclude the possibly that this parasite was carried by O. sewalli from its native Indo-Pacific range.

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Fig. 1

Data Availability

Genbank.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to J.D. Carrillo Briceño (University of Zurich, Switzerland) for his collaboration in the shipping of some of the samples studied. We are grateful to Christopher Whipps for comments regarding other fish hosts in Hawaii.

Funding

Michael J. Jowers was funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT, SFRH/BPD/109148/2015 and Next Generation Europe (Maria Zambrano grant). Raquel Xavier was funded by FCT under the Programa Operacional Potencial Humano—Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional funds from the European Social Fund and the Portuguese Ministério da Educação e Ciência, 2020.00854.CEECIND/CP1601/CT0001. Work supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Grant Agreement Number 857251.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Michael J. Jowers and Raquel Xavier have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIBIO/InBIO (Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos), Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrario De Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal

    Michael J. Jowers & Raquel Xavier

  2. BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal

    Michael J. Jowers & Raquel Xavier

  3. Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071, Granada, Spain

    Michael J. Jowers

  4. Museo de Historia Natural La Salle, Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, Caracas, Venezuela

    Oscar M. Lasso-Alcalá & Elena Quintero-T

  5. Laboratório de Organismos Aquáticos, Departamento de Oceanografia e Limnologia, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil

    Jorge L. S. Nunes

  6. Instituto de Ciências do Mar (LABOMAR), Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Avenida da Abolição, 3207, Fortaleza, Brazil

    Tommaso Giarrizzo

  7. Núcleo de Ecologia Aquática e Pesca da Amazônia (NEAP), Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Belém, PA, Brazil

    Tommaso Giarrizzo & Fabiola S. Machado

  8. Universidad Metropolitana, Caracas, 1073, Venezuela

    Jesús Gómez

  9. Department of Biogeographical Ecology and Evolution, Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal

    M. Pilar Cabezas

Authors
  1. Michael J. Jowers
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  2. Raquel Xavier
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  3. Oscar M. Lasso-Alcalá
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  4. Elena Quintero-T
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  5. Jorge L. S. Nunes
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  6. Tommaso Giarrizzo
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  7. Fabiola S. Machado
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  8. Jesús Gómez
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  9. M. Pilar Cabezas
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Contributions

MJJ, RX and MPC conceived the study. MJJ and RX wrote the paper and run the analyses. OML-A, EQ-T, JLSN, TG, MPC conducted the laboratory analyses. FSM and JG provided samples, material preparation and reviewed the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael J. Jowers.

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Jowers, M.J., Xavier, R., Lasso-Alcalá, O.M. et al. First Molecular Identification of a Goussia Parasite from a New World Invasive Blenny. Acta Parasit. 68, 458–462 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-023-00675-0

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