School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Charles Sturt University, Estella, New South Wales, 2678, Australia.
Parasitol Res. 2021 Sep;120(9):3007-3033. doi: 10.1007/s00436-021-07243-3. Epub 2021 Aug 3.
As one of the world's megadiverse countries, Australian biodiversity is vital for global biodiversity. Nematodes belonging to the genus Anisakis (family Anisakidae) are an important part of this biodiversity due to their ability to be repeatedly transmitted among their intermediate hosts before reaching the top of the food pyramid. Therefore, they have a significant impact on the community structures of various ecosystems. In addition, globally, they are known to be of medical and veterinary significance. The aim of this article is to provide an update on the current knowledge about these important parasites in Australia. Since 1916, a total of 234 records of Anisakis spp. from various hosts and localities have been found in Australia. It is estimated that the occurrence of Anisakis spp. and their health impacts in at least 84, 98.5, and 95% of Australian marine mammals, fish, and water birds, respectively, have not been documented yet. The results of this study suggest Australia is perhaps home to the most diverse Anisakis fauna. Available information is dominated by reports of these parasites in fish hosts, many of them among edible fish. Given the popularity of seafood in Australia and the occurrence of infectious stages of Anisakis spp. in edible fish, all stakeholders should be made aware of the occurrence, prevalence, and survival of Anisakis spp. in seafood. Also, as more pet owners feed their pets with a variety of fish and seafood products, it is important for veterinarians to be aware of seafood transmitted Anisakis spp. in pet animals. This study also highlights several important knowledge gaps: (i) The detailed life cycle of Anisakis spp. in Australia is not known. Detecting their first intermediate hosts is important for better management of crustacean zooplankton populations in our waters. (ii) Research on Anisakis spp. in Australia has been restricted to limited taxonomical studies and should extend to other aspects of these important parasites. (iii) The capacity to identify parasite taxa to species is especially important for resolving biological diversity around Australia; however, opportunities to formally train in parasite taxonomy are rare and diminishing. There is a need to train researchers with taxonomy skills. (iv) Given the vast range of biodiversity in Australia and the broad host-specificity of Anisakis spp., particularly in the larval stages, the full range of their intermediate hosts remains unknown. (v) The health impacts of the infection of the intermediate/definitive hosts with Anisakis spp. are not fully understood. Thus, one of the important areas for future studies is investigating the pathogenicity of Anisakis spp. in affected animals. This is a crucial yet unknown factor for the conservation of some endangered species in Australia.
作为世界上生物多样性最丰富的国家之一，澳大利亚的生物多样性对全球生物多样性至关重要。属于线虫属的寄生虫（蛔科）是生物多样性的重要组成部分，因为它们能够在到达食物链顶端之前在中间宿主之间反复传播。因此，它们对各种生态系统的群落结构有重大影响。此外，在全球范围内，它们被认为具有医学和兽医意义。本文旨在提供有关澳大利亚这些重要寄生虫的最新知识。自 1916 年以来，在澳大利亚的各种宿主和地点共发现了 234 份线虫属的记录。据估计，至少有 84%、98.5%和 95%的澳大利亚海洋哺乳动物、鱼类和水鸟尚未记录到线虫属的存在及其对健康的影响。本研究的结果表明，澳大利亚可能是线虫属物种最丰富的地方。现有资料主要是关于鱼类宿主中这些寄生虫的报告，其中许多是食用鱼类。鉴于海鲜在澳大利亚的受欢迎程度以及可食用鱼类中存在感染性阶段的线虫属，所有利益相关者都应该了解海鲜中线虫属的存在、流行程度和存活情况。此外，随着越来越多的宠物主人用各种鱼类和海鲜产品喂养宠物，兽医了解宠物动物中传播的线虫属也很重要。本研究还突出了几个重要的知识差距：（i）线虫属在澳大利亚的详细生活史尚不清楚。检测它们的第一中间宿主对于更好地管理我们水域中的甲壳类浮游动物种群非常重要。（ii）澳大利亚对线虫属的研究仅限于有限的分类学研究，应该扩展到这些重要寄生虫的其他方面。（iii）将寄生虫分类群识别到物种的能力对于解决澳大利亚周围的生物多样性尤为重要；然而，正式接受寄生虫分类学培训的机会很少，而且正在减少。需要培训具有分类学技能的研究人员。（iv）鉴于澳大利亚的生物多样性范围广泛，以及线虫属的宿主特异性很强，特别是在幼虫阶段，其所有中间宿主仍然未知。（v）中间/最终宿主感染线虫属的健康影响尚未完全了解。因此，未来研究的一个重要领域是研究受感染的中间/最终宿主的致病性。这是澳大利亚一些濒危物种保护的一个重要但未知的因素。
