Aggregata (Protozoa: Apicomplexa) infection in the common octopus Octopus vulgaris from the West Mediterranean Sea: The infection rates and possible effect of faunistic,environmental and ecological factors
2013
Mayo-Hernández, E. | Barcala, E. | Berriatua, E. | García-Ayala, A. | Muñoz, P. | Facultades, Departamentos, Servicios y Escuelas::Departamentos de la UMU::Sanidad Animal
©2013. Elsevier B.V. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This document is the published, version of a published work that appeared in final form in Journal of Sea Research. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2013.04.001
Show more [+] Less [-]Prevalence and distribution of the coccidian parasite Aggregata octopiana (Protozoa: Apicomplexa) in common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) in the Mediterranean Spanish coasts were studied. A total of 114 octopuses were sampled from 30 geographic sectors by trawlfleet, and whitish macroscopic oocysts typical of A. octopiana infection were recorded in 96% of octopuses in the digestive tract and mainly in intestine and spiral caecum. The univariate analysis showed that lesion extension varied according to specific octopus, environmental and faunis- tic variables. A subsequent multivariable analysis indicated that the risk of macroscopic lesions in the caecum was greater in males compared to females, in octopuses living in deeper compared to shallower waters and in hauls where the crustacean.Pagurus excavatus was present. The study provides further evidence of the abundance of A. octopianain octopus ecosystems urging for further studies to evaluate its health impact. The combined abundance of infected octopuses and P. excavatus merits attention.
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
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