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Sarcocystis spp. macrocysts infection in wildfowl species in Eastern Baltic region: Trends in prevalence in 2011–2022 /
No full textWildfowl meat infected with S. rileyi macrocysts is not suitable for human consumption. Ducks are among the main game birds in Europe, and S. rileyi infections cause significant economic losses. In 2011–2022, a total of 2649 anseriforms collected in Lithuania and 619 Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) hunted in the Kaliningrad region of Russia, Belarus, and Latvia were tested for macrocysts. In Lithuania, macrocysts were detected in 206 of 2362 Mallards (8.7%) and in two of 88 (2.3%) Eurasian Teals (Anas crecca). The prevalence of macrocysts in the other three countries, Belarus (5.9%), Russia (5.0%), and Latvia (3.1%), was similar. For species identification, macrocysts isolated from 37 Mallards (21 from Lithuania, 8 from Russia, 6 from Belarus, and 2 from Latvia) were subjected to sequencing of the ITS1 region. Based on DNA analysis, S. rileyi was confirmed in all tested birds. By comparing the infection rates of macrocysts in Mallards in Lithuania, significant differences were observed in different years (p = 0.036), and a significantly higher prevalence of infection was established in November–December than in September–October (p = 0.028). Given the amount of data per decade on the prevalence of S. rileyi, awareness of infection needs to be increased
Exo-erythrocytic development of Leucocytozoon parasites (Haemosporida, Leucocytozoidae) in song thrushes Turdus philomelos /
No full textLeucocytozoon parasites (Haemosporida, Leucocytozoidae) are haemosporidians whose diversity, exo-erythrocytic development and potential vectors are the least studied. The knowledge about their exo-erythrocytic development and pathogenicity is fragmentary, resulting in an incomplete comprehension of the impact of these parasites on avian hosts. For a long time, Leucocytozoon infections were considered benign to wild birds, even though they were virulent in poultry and responsible for some wild bird population declines. This study aimed to investigate the presence of Leucocytozoon species exo-erythrocytic stages in song thrushes Turdus philomelos using conventional histological techniques (sections stained by H&E) and chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH). Tissues from ten birds (seven naturally infected and three opportunistic samplings) were examined using both methods. Parasite lineages were identified from blood samples using PCR-based techniques. Leucocytozoon species meronts were found in five individuals (in four birds using H&E staining protocol, and in three in CISH-treated histological sections). Meronts were found mainly in the kidneys, but some meronts were also present in the lungs. It was possible to observe different maturation stages of meronts in the same bird individual, indicating an asynchronous development. Cytomeres were readily visible in developing meronts. One megalomeront-like structure was present close to a blood vessel in the heart. It was covered with a prominent capsular-like wall. No inflammatory reaction or necrosis was seen in the tissues surrounding the meronts or the megalomeront-like structure. We could confirm the transmission of three Leucocytozoon lineages (lTUPHI14, lSTUR1 and lTUPHI13) in Europe, and add evidence of the transmission of two Plasmodium lineages, including Plasmodium circumflexum (pTURDUS1), and Haemoproteus asymmetricus (hTUPHI01). We call for further research to better understand Leucocytozoon parasite exo-erythrocytic development
Reviving fish parasitology in Lithuania: Assessment of current diversity of helminth parasites of fishes in freshwater ecosystems /
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Diversity of RNA viruses in the cosmopolitan monoxenous trypanosomatid Leptomonas pyrrhocoris /
No full textBackground: Trypanosomatids are parasitic flagellates well known because of some representatives infecting humans, domestic animals, and cultural plants. Many trypanosomatid species bear RNA viruses, which, in the case of human pathogens Leishmania spp., influence the course of the disease. One of the close relatives of leishmaniae, Leptomonas pyrrhocoris, has been previously shown to harbor viruses of the groups not documented in other trypanosomatids. At the same time, this species has a worldwide distribution and high prevalence in the natural populations of its cosmopolitan firebug host. It therefore represents an attractive model to study the diversity of RNA viruses. Results: We surveyed 106 axenic cultures of L. pyrrhocoris and found that 64 (60%) of these displayed 2–12 double-stranded RNA fragments. The analysis of next-generation sequencing data revealed four viral groups with seven species, of which up to five were simultaneously detected in a single trypanosomatid isolate. Only two of these species, a tombus-like virus and an Ostravirus, were earlier documented in L. pyrrhocoris. In addition, there were four new species of Leishbuviridae, the family encompassing trypanosomatid-specific viruses, and a new species of Qinviridae, the family previously known only from metatranscriptomes of invertebrates. Currently, this is the only qinvirus with an unambiguously determined host. Our phylogenetic inferences suggest reassortment in the tombus-like virus owing to the interaction of different trypanosomatid strains. Two of the new Leishbuviridae members branch early on the phylogenetic tree of this family and display intermediate stages of genomic segment reduction between insect Phenuiviridae and crown Leishbuviridae. Conclusions: The unprecedented wide range of viruses in one protist species and the simultaneous presence of up to five viral species in a single Leptomonas pyrrhocoris isolate indicate the uniqueness of this flagellate. This is likely determined by the peculiarity of its firebug host, a highly abundant cosmopolitan species with several habits ensuring wide distribution and profuseness of L. pyrrhocoris, as well as its exposure to a wider spectrum of viruses compared to other trypanosomatids combined with a limited ability to transmit these viruses to its relatives. Thus, L. pyrrhocoris represents a suitable model to study the adoption of new viruses and their relationships with a protist host
Collecting in the Northern Andean Páramo revealed purple iridescent pygmy moths of the little known Andean endemic Brachinepticula (Nepticulidae) /
No full textThis paper describes two new species of Brachinepticula Stonis & Diškus: B. melania Remeikis, Mey & Stonis, sp. nov. and B. colombica Remeikis, Mey & Stonis, sp. nov. Both the new species were collected in the Northern Andean Páramo (Cundinamarca, Colombia). Since the specimens were caught at night-time with a light trap, the host plants remain unknown. The examination of the morphology of the male genitalia of B. melania and female genitalia of B. colombica revealed a highly distinctive new taxa of pygmy moths and broadened our knowledge of the morphology and distribution of the recently described endemic genus Brachinepticula Diškus & Stonis. The examination of the new findings also allowed us updating the diagnosis of Brachinepticula. The new species were illustrated with photographs of the genitalia, adults, and habitats
