Life cycle stages of a Posthodiplostomum species (digenea: diplostomidae) from Patagonia, Argentina. Journal of Parasitology

RITOSSA, L.; FLORES V.; VIOZZI, G. P.

JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY

AMER SOC PARASITOLOGISTS

Lugar: Washington, Estados Unidos; Año: 2013 vol. 99 p. 777 - 780

0022-3395

In Patagonia, populations of the galaxiid fish Galaxias maculatus are parasitized by metacercariae of Posthodiplostomum sp. (Digenea: Diplostomidae). The aim of this work was to describe larval and adult stages of this species of Posthodiplostomum in experimental and natural hosts in an Andean Patagonian lake. Specimens of G. maculatus and the pulmonate snail, Anisancylus obliquus, were collected between October 2010 and March 2011 in Patagua Lake. The snails were isolated in individual containers to observe emergence of cercariae, dissected, and examined under a stereoscopic microscope to record sporocysts and cercariae. Uninfected fish from Gutiérrez Lake were exposed to cercariae from A. obliquus to obtain experimental metacercariae. Chicks and mice were infected with metacercariae from naturally infected G. maculatus to obtain experimental adults. Specimens recovered belong to Posthodiplostomum sp. on the basis of morphological features. This is the first description of sporocysts, cercariae, metacercariae and adults stages of a Posthodiplostomum species in Patagonia, including data about its natural intermediate hosts.