Studies on the life cycle of myxozoans and integrative taxonomy of species in Brazil

Abstract

Fish parasites are important study targets, especially due to their impact on host health and concerns about aquaculture worldwide. Myxozoans are some of the agents responsible for diseases in fish, which can cause significant economic losses, with high mortality rates. Myxozoans are a group of parasitic cnidarians that have a complex life cycle, including a vertebrate host, mainly fish, and an invertebrate host, usually annelids. In Brazil, only three types of actinospores have been reported and no life cycle has been elucidated. Many myxozoans are still unknown to the scientific community, and their potential to cause disease in economically important fish is undetermined. The objective of this study is to identify morphologically and molecularly the myxozoan parasites found parasitizing Pimelodus maculatus from Rio Pardo, Brazil, through partial sequencing of the ssurDNA gene, in addition to performing ultrastructural studies of these species. Studies on annelids from Portugal will provide experience for future studies related to the life cycle of myxozoan species from Brazil. (AU)