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Open AccessCase Report

A Case of Dibothriocephalosis (Dibothriocephalus latus) from Iseo Lake (Northern Italy): An Update on a Persistent Sanitary Issue

by Vasco Menconi, Lisa Guardone, Elena Lazzaro, Romina Bottazzo, Valeria Besutti, Patrizia Danesi, Amedeo Manfrin, Andrea Basso, Giuseppe Arcangeli, Luana Cortinovis, Ewa Bilska-Zając and Giorgia Angeloni

Pathogens 2025, 14(1), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14010100 - 20 Jan 2025

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Abstract

Dibothriocephalosis is a fish-borne parasitic zoonosis that is caused by tapeworms of the Dibothriocephalus (syn. Diphyllobothrium) genus. This paper describes a human case of dibothriocephalosis associated with the consumption of a presumably infected fish, prepared at a restaurant near Iseo Lake (northern Italy). A month after, the patient found a segment of a worm in her stool. Molecular analysis identified it as Dibothriocephalus latus (syn. Diphyllobothrium latum). Several studies reported D. latus infections in patients from the subalpine regions of Switzerland, France, and Italy, but no cases have been reported from this area in the last 10 years. This report updates the epidemiology of dibothriocephalosis and emphasises the importance of collaboration among healthcare institutions for a prompt diagnosis and the need for food safety education for Food Business Operators and consumers to reduce transmission risks. Full article

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7 pages, 5304 KB

Open AccessCase Report

Molecular Identification of Dibothriocephalus nihonkaiense Infection Using Nanopore Sequencing: A Case Report and Literature Review

by Hin-Fung Tsang, Stanley W.M. Leung, Tin-Nok Hung, Icy Law, Ka-Wai Lam, Loiston Chan and Sze-Chuen Cesar Wong

Diagnostics 2024, 14(24), 2871; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14242871 - 20 Dec 2024

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Abstract

Background: Dibothriocephalus nihonkaiense (previously known as Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense) infection is not common in Hong Kong. D. nihonkaiense is a fish-borne cestode parasite that infects humans after consuming raw or insufficiently cooked fish containing plerocercoids. Case presentation: We reported a case of D. nihonkaiense infection in a 40-year-old woman who presented with a complaint of epigastric pain and diarrhea. A curvilinear opacity was seen at the upper quadrant of the abdomen via abdominal X-ray. An incomplete 80 cm long strobila of D. nihonkaiense without a scolex and neck was found in her feces. A grayish-brown oval egg with an inconspicuous operculum and small knob at the abopercular end was also found. Species-level identification was performed using Nanopore sequencing. Complete blood count and serum vitamin B12 level were tested to check for megaloblastic anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency, respectively. Laboratory investigations demonstrated an elevated percentage of monocytes in peripheral blood. A single oral dose of praziquantel (25 mg/kg) was prescribed to the patient. There was no evidence of relapse after the treatment. Conclusions: We reported a case of D. nihonkaiense infection using Oxford Nanopore NGS as a tool for accurate parasite identification. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Diagnosis, Prognosis and Data Analysis of Medical Parasites and Arthropods)

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11 pages, 1943 KB

Open AccessArticle

Potential Role of the Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) in the Spread of the Harmful Fish Parasite, Asian Tapeworm Schyzocotyle (Bothriocephalus) acheilognathi

by Daria I. Lebedeva, Andrey B. Petrovskiy and Andrey N. Reshetnikov

Parasitologia 2024, 4(4), 358-368; https://doi.org/10.3390/parasitologia4040031 - 4 Nov 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1759

Abstract

Biological control of undesirable organisms and pathogens often involves the introduction of alien species into new regions. However, alien species themselves pose a potential threat to local ecosystems and economies. The Eastern mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki is recognised as a dangerous invasive species, but despite this, it is still used for biological control of mosquito larvae, a potential vector of malaria plasmodium transmission to humans, on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. We focused on the species composition of helminths in this fish species. We detected adult nematodes Pseudocapillaria (Pseudocapillaria) tomentosa and cestodes Schyzocotyle acheilognathi (formely Bothriocephalus acheilognathi). The above nematode was observed for the first time in fish of the genus Gambusia. Importantly, the cestode S. acheilognathi, which we found in G. holbrooki, is the most successful invasive alien parasite species in freshwaters of the planet and is extremely hazardous to natural ecosystems and aquaculture as it can cause mass mortality of young fish. Thus, the current practice of transferring mosquitofish between water bodies on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus to control mosquito larvae may contribute to the undesirable spread of a harmful quarantine fish parasite. Full article

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20 pages, 5669 KB

Open AccessArticle

Metapopulation Structure of Two Species of Pikeworm (Triaenophorus, Cestoda) Parasitizing the Postglacial Fish Community in an Oligotrophic Lake

by Elena N. Kashinskaya, Pavel G. Vlasenko, Tatyana V. Kolmogorova, Gelena V. Izotova, Anastasiya V. Shokurova, Georgy A. Romanenko, Grigorii N. Markevich, Karl B. Andree and Mikhail M. Solovyev

Animals 2023, 13(19), 3122; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13193122 - 6 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1574

Abstract

In the present study, we estimated the levels of infestation of the main fish species that are hosts for two Triaenophorus species: T. crassus and T. nodulosus. The prevalence of T. crassus and T. nodulosus infestations in the intestine of their definitive host–pike Esox lucius was similar (71.0% and 77.4%, respectively). At the same time, the prevalence of T. crassus infestation in muscle tissue was significantly different between the second intermediate hosts, Coregonus lavaretus pidschian (31.4%) and Cor. l. pravdinellus (91.2%), due to considerable differences in their diets. For T. nodulosus, we found significant variations in the levels of prevalence among the second intermediate hosts—100% for Lota lota, 81.8% for Cottus sibiricus 31.9% for Thymallus arcticus, and 24.5% for Perca fluviatilis—that we also explained using different diets. Moreover, analysis of the symmetry of parasite infestations did not reveal any asymmetry between the number of cysts in the left and right body surfaces of the “planktivorous” form/species of whitefish, whereas in the ‘‘benthivorous”, an asymmetry of parasite infestations was found. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Aquatic Animals)

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12 pages, 3842 KB

Open AccessArticle

First Report of Proteocephalus longicollis (Zeder, 1800) in Alosa fallax lacustris (Fatio, 1890) from Lake Garda (Italy): Morphological and Molecular Study

by Ivan Corti, Giovanni De Benedetto, Kristian Riolo, Renato Malandra and Gabriella Gaglio

Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(9), 567; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10090567 - 11 Sep 2023

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Abstract

Twaite shad (Alosa fallax) includes two subspecies, the anadromous Alosa fallax nilotica, and the landlocked species Alosa fallax lacustris, representing the only Clupeidae inhabiting Lake Garda. Study of the parasitic fauna of this species in this area is still limited. For this reason, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of tapeworms from A. fallax lacustris sampled in Lake Garda. Sixty-six A. fallax lacustris specimens were collected at the Milan fish market (Lombardy, Italy); specifically, an evaluation of the gastrointestinal contents was carried out for the presence of helminths. All parasites found were fixed in 70% ethanol and transferred to the laboratories of the University of Messina for morphological and molecular analysis. Parts of the parasites were stained with Semichon’s carmine red technique. Molecular analysis was carried out using LSU rRNA and ITS2 region genes. Eight specimens out of sixty-six (12.1%) were positive for adult cestodes within the pyloric caeca. Morphological and molecular analysis could to identify the parasites found to be Proteocephalus longicollis. This parasite species is not considered a zoonotic agent, representing a low risk of parasitic fish-borne zoonosis for consumers of this appreciated fish from Lake Garda. Full article

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23 pages, 2810 KB

Open AccessArticle

Herbivorous Juvenile Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) Fed with Genetically Modified MON 810 and DAS-59122 Maize Varieties Containing Cry Toxins: Intestinal Histological, Developmental, and Immunological Investigations

by Gergő Gyurcsó, Béla Darvas, Ferenc Baska, László Simon, Eszter Takács, Szandra Klátyik and András Székács

Toxins 2022, 14(2), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14020153 - 19 Feb 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3853

Abstract

Feeding experiments with juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) fed with genetically modified maize MON 810 or DAS-59122 dried leaf biomass were carried out with 1-, 3- and 6-month exposures. Dosages of 3–7 μg/fish/day Cry1Ab or 18-55 μg/fish/day Cry34Ab1 toxin did not cause mortality. No difference occurred in body or abdominal sac weights. No differences appeared in levels of inorganic phosphate, calcium, fructosamine, bile acids, triglycerides, cholesterol, and alanine and aspartame aminotransferases. DAS-59122 did not alter blood parameters tested after 3 months of feeding. MON 810 slightly decreased serum albumin levels compared to the control, only in one group. Tapeworm (Bothriocephalus acheilognathi) infection changed the levels of inorganic phosphate and calcium. Cry34Ab1 toxin appeared in blood (12.6 ± 1.9 ng/mL), but not in the muscle. It was detected in B. acheilognathi. Cry1Ab was hardly detectable in certain samples near the limit of detection. Degradation of Cry toxins was extremely quick in the fish gastrointestinal tract. After 6 months of feeding, only mild indications in certain serum parameters were observed: MON 810 slightly increased the level of apoptotic cells in the blood and reduced the number of thrombocytes in one group; DAS-59122 mildly increased the number of granulocytes compared to the near-isogenic line. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insecticidal Toxins: Application and Assessment)

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