CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Parasites of marine birds usually have indirect life cycles and they are mostly acquired through diet. Parasites in seabirds might help to elucidate both diet and role of their prey items as intermediate or paratenic hosts. Consequently, the occurrence of parasite-prey association could be established. However, the Imperial Shag´s parasitofauna has been poorly studied in Argentina and even less that regarding to Anisakidae. The objectives of this study were to identify prey items, larvae and adult Anisakidae species present in pellets and regurgitates of the Imperial Shag; and to suggest possible transmission processes of these anisakids. According to the F statistic, Contracaecum associated positively with Engraulis anchoita, Raneya brasiliensis, Percophis sp., and Gammaridea. Correlation analysis showed significant although low association among Contracaecum and Paralichthys sp., E. anchoita, R. brasiliensis, and Ostracoda. PCA analysis showed a closer relationship among Contracaecum and R. brasiliensis, E. anchoita, Percophis sp., and Ostracoda. Results on parasiteprey association corroborate the narrow relationship between Contracaecum and E. anchoita as an intermediate/paratenic host. Also, the association of Contracaecum with Percophis sp. suggests this fish as intermediate/paratenic host. Besides, Paralichthys sp. might play a role as intermediate/paratenic host of Contracaecum. The association observed on Contracaecum with R. brasiliensis and Gammaridae could be corroborated by new prospections and molecular genetics. The rest of anisakid species found in regurgitates and pellets are not bird parasites. However, the information obtained from their association analysis could provide bases to elucidate transmission processes on Anisakidae life cycles.