Bull. Eur. Ass. Fish Pathol., 35(2) 2015, 41

Parasites and pathological condition

Cassino beach, southern Brazil

Y. B. M. Carvalho, L. H. da Silva Poersch and L. A. Romano*

Laboratório de Imunologia e Patologia de Organismos Aquáticos, Estação Marinha de Aquicultura,

AbstractAmiantis purpurata (Veneridae)

and Mactra isabelleana

A. purpurata Nematopsis-like gregarine (Apicomplexa) (prevalence = 20%) in

the gills (prevalence = 3.3%) without host reaction. The parasites recorded in M. isabelleana were: Pseudoklossia-like coccidians (Apicomplexa) in the kidney (prevalence = 20%) hypertrophying the

M. isabelleana and the second with A. purpurata

IntroductionIt is well known that diseases can dramatically

and aquaculture production systems (Lauck-

scarce. Investigations conducted in the north-

Bahia (Zeidan et al., 2012), Paraíba (da Silva et al., 2013), Ceará (Sabry et al., 2007; Sabry et al., 2013), and also in the south in Santa Catarina State (da Silva et al., 2002; da Silva et al., 2012), where mussels Perna perna, oysters Crassostrea gigas and the scallop Nodipecten nodosus

Recently, histopathological studies were per-Mesodesma mac-

troidesSul State, southern Brazil (Carvalho et al., 2013a; Carvalho et al., 2013b). The Cassino Beach is

(approximately 220 km) (Seelinger et al., 1997) where the subtidal clam Mactra isabelleana -

Amiantis purpurata(Rios, 2009) occur.

The purple clam, a warm-temperate species,

42, Bull. Eur. Ass. Fish Pathol., 35(2) 2015

-

years and this species is harvested, recreationally and commercially along the Argentinean coast (Morsan and Orensanz, 2004). The mactrid clam M. isabelleana

resource in the region.

Several studies demonstrated that stranded sub-tidal clams washed up to the beach are sick and

sediment (Bowers, 1969; Cremonte et al., 2001;

is to describe the parasites and pathological

(A. purpurata and M. isabelleana) collected at

Material and methods

M. isabelleana (shell height = 41 ± 3.32 mm) and A. purpurata (shell height = 35.22 ± 4.74 mm) were collected in

the samples including gills, digestive gland, kidney and mantle, were dehydrated in an ethanol series, embedded in Paraplast®, sec-tioned (5 μm thick) and stained with haema-toxylin and eosin (H&E). The histological slides were observed with an optic microscopy in

alterations.

ResultsParasites and pathological signs in the purple clam Amiantis purpurata

Nematopsis-like gregarine (Api-complexa: Eugregarinidae) were recorded in

These parasites were recorded in the Leydig tissue eliciting no evidence haemocytic response by the hosts (Figure 1).

Sporocysts containing cercariae and germ balls -

ing the digestive gland (Figure 2), gonad, and kidney were recorded with high prevalence

possible to see gametogenesis, while in the

gametogenesis.

-

only in the gills (prevalence = 13.3%). The target

Bull. Eur. Ass. Fish Pathol., 35(2) 2015, 43

Figure 1. NematopsisAmiantis purpurata. Note the worm-like sporozoite densely eosinophilic with a basophilic nucleus enclosed by a thick hyaline capsule (arrows). H&E- staining, Bar = 25μm.

Figure 2.Amiantis purpurata. H&E - staining, Bar = 50μm.

44, Bull. Eur. Ass. Fish Pathol., 35(2) 2015

sporocysts (Figure 3).

In one A. purpurata (prevalence = 3.33%), two

Parasites and pathological signs in Mactra isabelleana

Pseudoklossia-like coccidians (Api-complexa) were recorded in the epithelial cells

histological slide. The parasitized cells were hypertrophied or ruptured and no host reaction was recorded (Figure 5).

-taining germ balls and cercariae were observed

M. isabelleana (prevalence = 6.6%). The interlamellar connec-

sporocysts (Figure 6).

DiscussionAccording to Bower et al. (1994), each molluscan

organisms, comprising viruses, prokaryotes, protozoans and metazoans parasites, although

disease.

similarities in the parasitic community between Amiantis purpurata and Mactra isabelleana, which occupied the same habitat in the subtidal region

A. purpurata is probably longer-lived (up to 40 years) than M. isabelleana

M. isabelleana).

it was possible to observe several parasites and pathological signs in the histological slides. The

A. purpurata and M. isabellea-na

in the intertidal zone.

According to Cremonte (2011), Digenea in the larval stage are the most important metazoan

-netic trematode uses gonad tissue in the bivalve

may cause castration. On the Brazilian coast,

Bucephalus sp. in the mussel Perna perna-

Silva et al., 2002).

digeneans have to their primary host, the spo-

the purple clam observed in the present study are probably the same parasite described by Cremonte et al. (2001) as Monorchiid cercaria sp. Cremonte et al. (2001) reported high prevalence

Monorchiid cercaria sp. in purple clams

in the Argentinean coast. They suggest that these parasites debilitates the hosts impairing their ability to burrow in the sand, and also

monorchiid occupies almost all the haemocoele

observed situation in the present study.

the present study was represented by a debil-

Bull. Eur. Ass. Fish Pathol., 35(2) 2015, 45

Figure 3. Amiantis purpurata

Figure 4. Amiantis purpurata (arrows). H&E - staining, Bar = 50 μm.

46, Bull. Eur. Ass. Fish Pathol., 35(2) 2015

Figure 6. Mactra isabelleana H&E - staining, Bar = 100μm.

Figure 5. Mactra isabelleana Pseudoklossia-like in the microgamont stage. Note

Bull. Eur. Ass. Fish Pathol., 35(2) 2015, 47

itated group that was washed up to the beach

Monorchiid cercaria in a “healthy” sample collected in the subtidal zone should not be as high as reported in the present study.

-served only in A. purpurata in high prevalence

--

corded in low prevalence in both clams species

these parasites is still unknown; however they

as reported by Gilardoni et al. (2011).

Gilardoni et al. (2011) recently described an apo-A. pur-

purata

occurrence are recorded in the world.

The other parasites recorded in the present study (Pseudoklossia-like coccidians, Nematop-siswere reported in numbers too low, or without

impacts on the clam populations. According to Carballal et al. (2001), Pseudoklossia and Nema-topsis induce light to moderate damage to the cockles Cerastoderma edule

Gregarines in the genus Nematopsis (Apicom-plexa) are sporozoans that use marine bivalves

-

on the host physiology (Sindermann, 1990).

were recorded in several regions and bivalves. For example, Nematopsis were detected in the mytilid Mytella guyanensis(northern Brazil) (Azevedo and Matos, 1999); in M. guyanensis and venerid clam Anomalocar-dia brasiliana (Boehs et al., 2010) and in the mangrove oyster Crassostrea rhizophorae(southern Brazil) (Sabry et al., 2011).

Coccidians in the genus Pseudoklossia are

the renal cells (Carballal et al., 2001; Lauck-

-asitizing the mangrove oyster C. rhizophorae

(Azevedo et al., 2005). So, the present study is

AcknowledgementsYBM Carvalho was supported by scholarship

-ian Government. Luis A. Romano and Luis H.

-

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