Shamsi Shokoofeh, Khedri Javad, Borji Hassan
Gulbali Institute, School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga 2678, Australia.
Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
Int J Food Microbiol. 2025 Oct 2;441:111324. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2025.111324. Epub 2025 Jun 18.
Saurida tumbil, is a commercially valuable fish which is found in 36 countries and islands across Africa, Asia, and Oceania. It serves as a key food resource for many coastal communities, making the identification and assessment of its parasitic biota important for food safety and ecological monitoring. In this study, 140 specimens of S. tumbil, obtained from local fish markets were examined for foodborne parasites using both morphological and molecular approaches. A total of 123 nematodes, all alive, were collected from 33 infected fish. We also conducted an extensive review of parasites previously associated with this fish species. Our findings based on the examination of fish and the literature review reveal that S. tumbil hosts a diverse range of parasites, such as protozoans, nematodes, and tapeworms, several of which present potential zoonotic risks. Key discoveries include the first identification of Anisakis larval type III as A. brevispiculata, as well as evidence that Anisakis larval type I consists of two genetically distinct species, both labelled as A. typica in GenBank despite exhibiting greater genetic divergence. Anisakis nematodes are a known seafood borne parasites. Additionally in the literature, another parasite, trypanorhynch tapeworm larvae, were commonly found in this fish. Although human infections with trypanorhynch larvae are rare, similar to anisakids they can cause allergic reactions and reduce the marketability of fish due to consumer aversion caused by presence of parasites in fish flesh. Our results also highlight the challenges posed by mislabelled sequences in GenBank, which complicate the accurate identification of parasite larvae. These inaccuracies impede species-level identification, obscure the true diversity and zoonotic potential of these parasites, and ultimately hinder effective monitoring and public health responses. Our results contribute to a better understanding of Saurida tumbil's role as a host for diverse parasite species with both ecological and zoonotic significance.
长条蛇鲻是一种具有商业价值的鱼类，在非洲、亚洲和大洋洲的36个国家和岛屿均有发现。它是许多沿海社区的重要食物来源，因此识别和评估其寄生生物群对于食品安全和生态监测至关重要。在本研究中，从当地鱼市获取了140条长条蛇鲻标本，采用形态学和分子学方法对其食源性寄生虫进行检测。从33条受感染的鱼中总共收集到123条活线虫。我们还对先前与该鱼类相关的寄生虫进行了广泛的文献综述。基于对鱼的检测和文献综述的结果表明，长条蛇鲻寄生着多种寄生虫，如原生动物、线虫和绦虫，其中一些具有潜在的人畜共患病风险。主要发现包括首次将Ⅲ型异尖线虫鉴定为短刺异尖线虫，以及有证据表明Ⅰ型异尖线虫由两个遗传上不同的物种组成，尽管它们在基因上存在较大差异，但在基因库中均被标记为典型异尖线虫。异尖线虫是一种已知的食源性寄生虫。此外，在文献中，另一种寄生虫——裂头绦虫幼虫也常见于这种鱼中。虽然人类感染裂头绦虫幼虫的情况很少见，但与异尖线虫类似，它们会引起过敏反应，并因鱼肉中存在寄生虫导致消费者反感而降低鱼的市场价值。我们的结果还凸显了基因库中错误标注序列带来的挑战，这使得准确鉴定寄生虫幼虫变得复杂。这些不准确之处阻碍了物种水平的鉴定，掩盖了这些寄生虫的真正多样性和人畜共患病潜力，最终妨碍了有效的监测和公共卫生应对措施。我们的研究结果有助于更好地理解长条蛇鲻作为多种具有生态和人畜共患病意义的寄生虫宿主的作用。
