Mapping the occurrence of spp. in fish species caught from six lakes in Central Italy (Tuscany and Latium regions): Implications for local fishery supply chains.

In the present study, in order to expand the knowledge on the distribution of parasites of the genus in never investigated Italian lacustrine areas of Tuscany and Latium, fish specimens from four Tuscan lakes (Bilancino, Chiusi, Montedoglio and San Cipriano) and two Latium lakes (Bolsena and Bracciano) were collected and analyzed. The parasitological analysis, consisting of a visual inspection followed by a chloro-peptic digestion, was performed on 1650 specimens belonging to 17 species: European perch (), Pumpkinseed (), Pike-perch (), Largemouth black bass (), Pike (), Big-scale sand smelt (), Tench (), European Whitefish (), Channel catfish (), Chub (), Rudd (), Common bleak (), South European roach (), South European nase (), Italian riffle dace (), Goldfish (), and Freshwater bream (). spp. larvae were only found in one specimen of European perch caught in Bracciano Lake and purchased from a local fishmonger (P = 3.3%; MI = 1; MA = 0.03). The only isolated spp. larva was submitted to molecular analysis of the ITS gene region and identified as . This finding adds Bracciano Lake to the list of the several Italian lakes in which nematodes belonging to this genus have been reported. Even if the observed prevalence is currently low, the presence of the parasite in this local freshwater fish supply chain requires FBOs to adopt risk management measures to prevent contaminated products from reaching final consumer. Moreover, future investigations will show if the parasite expands in these areas.