The work focused on ultrastructural and molecular characterization of protozoan parasites of the genus Aggregata (Apicomplexa, Aggregatidae) in specimens of the common octopus Octopus vulgaris obtained from Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas (Southern Italy, Central Mediterranean). Aggregata spp. are reported to parasitize cephalopod species and to be responsible of severe pathologies, which seem to be mostly evident in cultured cephalopods. In the Central Mediterranean the parasite is known to occur with high prevalence, however its taxonomic status in this area is still under debate. Following detection and purification of parasitic stages from octopus tissues, genomic DNA was extracted from Aggregata sporocysts. 18S rRNA gene of the parasite was amplified by PCR using specific primers and the sequences obtained were compared to those available from Aggregata octopiana type species infecting O. vulgaris in Northeastern Atlantic. Samples for Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were treated using standardized protocols specifically designed for the processing of Aggregata spp. parasites. Histological preparations obtained from samples of infected oesphagus, crop, caecum, intestine and mantle of O. vulgaris showed the presence of both gamogonic and sporogonic stages of Aggregata and allowed the use of a semiquantitative method to compare the intensity of infection per each sampled locality. Information from histology was integrated with the analysis of parasite ultrastructure by TEM, which allowed the observation of important taxonomic features to distinguish between different species of Aggregata.
Ultrastructural and molecular characterization of Aggregata spp (Frenzel, 1885) in Octopus vulgaris (Cuvier, 1797) from central Mediterranean
TEDESCO, PERLA;
2015
Abstract
The work focused on ultrastructural and molecular characterization of protozoan parasites of the genus Aggregata (Apicomplexa, Aggregatidae) in specimens of the common octopus Octopus vulgaris obtained from Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas (Southern Italy, Central Mediterranean). Aggregata spp. are reported to parasitize cephalopod species and to be responsible of severe pathologies, which seem to be mostly evident in cultured cephalopods. In the Central Mediterranean the parasite is known to occur with high prevalence, however its taxonomic status in this area is still under debate. Following detection and purification of parasitic stages from octopus tissues, genomic DNA was extracted from Aggregata sporocysts. 18S rRNA gene of the parasite was amplified by PCR using specific primers and the sequences obtained were compared to those available from Aggregata octopiana type species infecting O. vulgaris in Northeastern Atlantic. Samples for Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were treated using standardized protocols specifically designed for the processing of Aggregata spp. parasites. Histological preparations obtained from samples of infected oesphagus, crop, caecum, intestine and mantle of O. vulgaris showed the presence of both gamogonic and sporogonic stages of Aggregata and allowed the use of a semiquantitative method to compare the intensity of infection per each sampled locality. Information from histology was integrated with the analysis of parasite ultrastructure by TEM, which allowed the observation of important taxonomic features to distinguish between different species of Aggregata.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
