<i>Anisakis pegreffii</i> Larvae in <i>Sphyraena viridensis</i> and Description of Granulomatous Lesions
2021
Giovanni De Benedetto | Alessia Giannetto | Kristian Riolo | Carmelo Iaria | Emanuele Brianti | Gabriella Gaglio
The aim of the present study was to describe gastric granuloma caused by <i>Anisakis pegreffii</i> in <i>Sphyraena viridensis</i> caught in the central Mediterranean Sea. Sixty-eight <i>S. viridensis</i> specimens were collected from different fish markets on the east coast of Sicily. Coelomic organs were observed both macroscopically and with the aid of stereomicroscope. Parasite specimens and lesioned tissues were collected for identification, histological and molecular analyses. Twelve specimens (<i>p</i> = 17.6%) were positive for the presence of nematode larvae, morphologically identified as larvae of <i>Anisakis</i> sp., with values of mean abundance and mean intensity of 0.9 and 4.8, respectively. One large female specimen showed massive parasite infection associated with nodular lesions of the gastric wall. By histology, several nematode larvae encysted through the gastric wall were found. The parasite bodies were surrounded by a granulomatous reaction made up of macrophages, epithelioid cells, some lymphocytes and an external connective sheet. Molecular analysis of <i>18S rRNA</i> and <i>cox2</i> genes from <i>Anisakis</i> sp. collected larvae, identified them as <i>A. pegreffii</i>. The lesions here described, though macroscopically superimposable on human eosinophilic granuloma, microscopically showed significant differences in the inflammatory cells involved and in the type of immune reaction.
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