Department of Biological Sciences and Environmental Sciences Program, Arkansas State University, PO Box 599, State University, Jonesboro, AR, 72467, USA.
Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, Potchefstroom Campus, North West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa.
Parasitol Res. 2020 Jun;119(6):1975-1980. doi: 10.1007/s00436-020-06676-6. Epub 2020 Apr 24.
Gnathiid isopods are marine ectoparasites that feed on the blood of fishes that have been implicated as vectors of blood parasites, with transmission possibly occurring through biting during their parasitic life-stages, or through ingestion by fishes. However, evidence for their role as vectors is limited, reflecting the small number of research groups working on them. Here, we used a molecular barcode approach to identify fish hosts and apicomplexan parasites in free-living gnathiids from the eastern Caribbean Sea, with the goal of further evaluating their potential role as reservoirs and/or vectors for these parasites. Apicomplexa were only identified in 8% of the Gnathia analyzed, and in four cases we could identify both Apicomplexa and fish host DNA. The results further suggest that Gnathia spp. in this region may serve as reservoirs for Apicomplexa, but whether they are vectors for this parasite remains uncertain.
食血虱是海洋外寄生虫，以鱼类血液为食，这些鱼类被认为是血液寄生虫的传播媒介，寄生虫通过吸血或吞食鱼类在其寄生生活阶段传播。然而，它们作为传播媒介的证据有限，这反映了从事相关研究的研究小组数量较少。在这里，我们使用分子条码方法来鉴定东加勒比海自由生活食血虱中的鱼类宿主和顶复门寄生虫，目的是进一步评估它们作为这些寄生虫的储存宿主和/或传播媒介的潜力。在分析的 Gnathia 中，只有 8%的个体中检测到顶复门寄生虫，在四种情况下，我们可以同时鉴定出顶复门寄生虫和鱼类宿主的 DNA。结果进一步表明，该地区的 Gnathia spp. 可能是顶复门寄生虫的储存宿主，但它们是否是该寄生虫的传播媒介仍不确定。
