Anisakis sp. larvae in Plagioscion squamosissimus (Heckel, 1840) from the Curralinho municipality, Marajó Island, Pará, Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/avs.v30i4.98412

Keywords:

Anisakidae, Parasite, Fish, Amazon

Abstract

Abstract: Several reports from Brazil indicate the presence of fish parasitized by nematodes with zoonotic potential, notably those within the Anisakidae family. This research investigates the morphology, morphometry, and prevalence of Anisakis larvae parasitizing fish being sold in the municipality of Curralinho, in the Brazilian state of Pará. Twenty specimens of Plagioscion squamosissimus were directly collected from the Guajará River by fishers in the city of Curralinho. These fish were purchased, necropsied, and their organs were individually placed in Petri dishes containing saline solution for helminthological examination using a stereomicroscope. All the fish (100%) were found to be parasitized, and a total of 1,390 third-stage Anisakis larvae were recovered, encysted in the intestinal serosa and mesentery. The third-stage larvae were analyzed using light and scanning electron microscopy. Morphologically, the third-stage Anisakis larvae exhibited an anterior end featuring a dorsal lip and two poorly developed ventrolateral lips, a boring tooth, and an excretory pore situated below the boring tooth. Internally, they possessed a muscular esophagus, a long ventriculus, a terminal mucron, and a ventricular appendix, while an intestinal cecum was absent. The presence of these third-stage Anisakis larvae in fish sold in markets underscores their significance for public health, as these Anisakidae nematodes, especially Anisakis spp, are known to cause anisakiasis.

Author Biographies

Simone Salazar de Carvalho, Instituto Federal do Pará

Student of the Technologist course in Agroecology

Luis Augusto Araújo dos Santos Ruffeil, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia

He holds a degree in Biomedicine from the Federal University of Pará and a degree in Biological Sciences from Faculdades Integradas Ipiranga, a specialization in Natural Resources Management from the State University of Pará, a master's degree in Zoology from the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi and a PhD in Animal Health and Production from the Federal Rural University of the Amazon. He has experience in the area of ​​conservation and management of wildlife, with an emphasis on the ecology and management of crocodilians and turtles and faunal surveys, having developed activities in these areas in the Oiapoque Indigenous Lands (Uaçá, Galibi and Juminã) and in the Cabo Orange National Park, in the state of Amapá. He works as an instructor in containment and management of snakes and crocodilians and accidents caused by venomous animals, and also with the use of drones for training, assessment and environmental monitoring.

Raul Henrique da Silva Pinheiro, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia

Graduated as an Aquaculture Technician from the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Pará (IFPA), Bachelor in Fisheries Engineering from the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Bachelor in Biological Sciences from the University City of São Paulo (UNICID), Specialist in Health Surveillance and Biosafety from the School of Higher Education of the Amazon (ESAMAZ), Specialist in Fish Farming from the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Master in Amazonian Continental Aquatic Resources - PPG-RACAM at the Federal University of Western Pará (UFOPA), Doctor in Biology of Infectious and Parasitic Agents - BAIP (UFPA), with a sandwich period at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH-Mexico). He is a research member and advisor at the Laboratory of Animal Histology and Embryology - LHEA / UFRA, where he developed the first Post-doctorate project by the Postgraduate Program in Society, Nature and Development (PPGSND 2019-2021: Diversity and richness of helminths in two sympatric species of Leporinus (Characiformes: Anostomidae) of commercial importance for the municipality of Santarém, Pará) of the Federal University of Western Pará. He was approved in the CNPq Call No. 32/2023 Junior Post-Doctorate PDJ, to develop the Post-doctorate project in the Postgraduate Program in Animal Health and Production in the Amazon PPG-SPAA with the title: Biodiversity of anisakideos with zoonotic potential parasites of fish consumed by the riverine population of the Amazon: Associating integrative taxonomy and One Health, at the Federal University of Rural Amazônia. He is currently a professor at the Casa-Escola da Pesca - Fundação Centro de Referência em Educação Ambiental Escola Bosque Professor Eidorfe Moreira and a permanent professor at the Postgraduate Program in Animal Health and Production in the Amazon (PPGSPAA), supervising and co-supervising students at the Master's and Doctorate levels. He is a research member of the research group: HOST HELMINTHS: Morphology and Ecology of an Established Biodiversity (dgp.cnpq.br/dgp/espelhogrupo/5752654148969500). He is a member of the Brazilian Society of Microscopy and Microanalysis. He has experience in the area of ​​aquatic fauna diseases, animal parasitology, scientific methodology, continental aquaculture, fish quality control and management of Amazonian fish, working in the area of ​​research on the following topics: Amazon, microparasites, helminths, emerging zoonoses, histology and embryology, aquaculture and environmental contaminants.

Elane Guerreiro Giese, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia

She holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (1987), a master's degree in Zoology from the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (1998) and a PhD in Biology of Infectious and Parasitic Agents from the Federal University of Pará (2010). She is currently an adjunct professor at the Federal Rural University of the Amazon and a collaborating researcher at the Federal University of Pará. She has experience in the areas of Morphology, Microscopy and Parasitology, with an emphasis on Animal Helminthology.

Tiago Paixão Mangas, Instituto Federal do Pará

Graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (2010). Specialization in Production Animal Clinic from the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (2012). Specialization in Teaching for Technological, Scientific and Professional Education from the Federal Institute of Pará (2017). Master's degree (2014) and Doctorate (2020) from the Federal Rural University of the Amazon. EBTT Professor at the Federal Institute of Pará since 2016.

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Published

2025-11-12

How to Cite

Salazar de Carvalho, S., Araújo dos Santos Ruffeil, L. A., da Silva Pinheiro, R. H., Guerreiro Giese, E., & Paixão Mangas, T. (2025). Anisakis sp. larvae in Plagioscion squamosissimus (Heckel, 1840) from the Curralinho municipality, Marajó Island, Pará, Brazil. Archives of Veterinary Science, 30(4). https://doi.org/10.5380/avs.v30i4.98412

Issue

Vol. 30 No. 4 (2025): Navigating the Frontiers of Veterinary Science and the Commitment to One Health

Section

Veterinary Parasitology

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