Diversity of microscopic cnidarians from the Amazon Basin with emphasis on phylogeny, systematic and interaction with their hosts

• Grant number: 18/20482-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): January 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): January 01, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Morphology of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: André Carrara Morandini
• Grantee: Patrick Mathews Delgado
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/13147-6 - Studies of the differential expressed immune genes in organs of ornamental fish in response to myxosporeans infection, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The Amazon basin has one of the highest concentrations of known aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity in the world and more species are described each year. However little or nothing is known about the species of microscopic cnidarians existing in this region. The Cnidaria phylum groups exclusively aquatic organisms that are widely recognized for their ecological, evolutionary, economic importance and their contributions to the quality of life. It is now recognized that a clade of cnidarians diverged from their free-living ancestors to become microscopic endoparasites with complex life cycles that alternate between invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. Today these animals comprise the group called Myxozoa and are recognized as a group of considerable ecological, economic and even medical importance, besides being of evolutionary interest. As a function of growing demand of the aquatic pet trade, the risk of transboundary spread of several pathogens has increased in the last years. Nowadays, the aquarium trade industry moves millions of fishes around the world each year and besides, the global connectivity has raised with shorter transportation times, thus favoring that even parasites arrive viable to new regions, in some cases causing pathological changes and mortalities. In this scenario, microscopic cnidarians survey on ornamental fishes become important for diagnosis and timely control to prevent that these parasites may be introduced and disseminated to foreign locations. However, information about microscopic cnidarians species that infect ornamental fishes is still scarce, particularly from the Amazon basin, considering that in this region there is a great diversity, being many species native and endemic. This project aims to evaluate the diversity, phylogenetic relationships and interaction of microscopic cnidarians with their hosts: ornamental fish of economic importance to the international ornamental fish industry from the families Callichthyidae e Characidae. For this purpose, morphological, ultrastructural, histopathological analyses, combined with the modern tools of molecular phylogenetics, ultrastructural and confocal laser scanning microscopy will be performed to satisfactorily reach all the objectives proposed in this study.

Scientific publications

(10)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

RIVADENEYRA, NORMA L. S.; MERTINS, OMAR; CUADROS, RUBEN C.; MALTA, JOSE C. O.; DE MATOS, LORENA V.; MATHEWS, PATRICK D.. Histopathology associated with infection by Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) inopinatus (Nematoda) in farmed Brycon cephalus (Characiformes) from Peru: a potential fish health problem. AQUACULTURE INTERNATIONAL, OCT 2019. (16/13368-4, 18/20482-3, 15/23948-5)

MILANIN, TIAGO; MATHEWS, PATRICK D.; MORANDINI, ANDRE C.; MERTINS, OMAR; AUDEBERT, FABIENNE; PEREIRA, JOSE O. L.; MAIA, ANTONIO A. M.. Morphostructural data and phylogenetic relationships of a new cnidarian myxosporean infecting spleen of an economic and ecological important bryconid fish from Brazil. Microbial Pathogenesis, v. 150, JAN 2021. (15/21007-9, 19/13147-6, 18/20482-3, 15/18807-3)

MATHEWS, PATRICK D.; MERTINS, OMAR; MILANIN, TIAGO; ESPINOZA, LUIS L.; FLORES-GONZALES, ANAI P.; AUDEBERT, FABIENNE; MORANDINI, ANDRE C.. Molecular Phylogeny and taxonomy of a new Myxobolus species from the endangered ornamental fish, Otocinclus cocama endemic to Peru: A host-parasite coextinction approach. Acta Tropica, v. 210, OCT 2020. (16/13368-4, 15/18807-3, 18/20482-3, 15/23948-5, 15/21007-9)

MATHEWS, PATRICK D.; BONILLO, CELINE; RABET, NICOLAS; LORD, CLARA; CAUSSE, ROMAIN; KEITH, PHILIPPE; AUDEBERT, FABIENNE. Phylogenetic analysis and characterization of a new parasitic cnidarian (Myxosporea: Myxobolidae) parasitizing skin of the giant mottled eel from the Solomon Islands. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION, v. 94, OCT 2021. (18/20482-3, 19/13147-6)

MATHEWS, PATRICK D.; MADRID, RAFAEL R. M.; MERTINS, OMAR; RIGONI, VERA L. S.; MORANDINI, ANDRE C.. A new Myxobolus (Cnidaria: Myxosporea) infecting the ornamental catfish Corydoras schwartzi from the Purus River in Brazil. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF TAXONOMY, v. 620, p. 1-14, MAR 30 2020. (18/20482-3, 16/13368-4, 15/23948-5, 15/21007-9)

SOUSA, FABRICIO B.; MILANIN, TIAGO; MORANDINI, ANDRE C.; ESPINOZA, LUIS L.; FLORES-GONZALES, ANAI; GOMES, ANA L. S.; MATOSO, DANIELE A.; MATHEWS, PATRICK D.. Molecular diagnostic based on 18S rDNA and supplemental taxonomic data of the cnidarian coelozoic Ceratomyxa (Cnidaria, Myxosporea) and comments on the intraspecific morphological variation. ZOOSYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION, v. 97, n. 2, p. 307-314, JUN 10 2021. (15/18807-3, 15/21007-9, 18/20482-3)

CUADROS, RUBEN C.; RIVADENEYRA, NORMA L. S.; FLORES-GONZALES, ANAI; MERTINS, OMAR; MALTA, JOSE C. O.; SERRANO-MARTINEZ, M. ENRIQUE; MATHEWS, PATRICK D.. Intestinal histological alterations in farmed red-bellied pacu Piaractus brachypomus (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) heavily infected by roundworms. AQUACULTURE INTERNATIONAL, v. 29, n. 3, FEB 2021. (18/20482-3)

MADRID, RAFAEL R. M.; MATHEWS, PATRICK D.; PATTA, ANA C. M. F.; GONZALES-FLORES, ANAI P.; RAMIREZ, CARLOS A. B.; RIGONI, VERA L. S.; TAVARES-DIAS, MARCOS; MERTINS, OMAR. Safety of oral administration of high doses of ivermectin by means of biocompatible polyelectrolytes formulation. HELIYON, v. 7, n. 1, JAN 2021. (18/20482-3, 16/13368-4, 15/23948-5, 17/16722-6)

FERNANDES PATTA, ANA C. M.; MATHEWS, PATRICK D.; MADRID, RAFAEL R. M.; RIGONI, VERA L. S.; SILVA, EMERSON R.; MERTINS, OMAR. Polyionic complexes of chitosan-N-arginine with alginate as pH responsive and mucoadhesive particles for oral drug delivery applications. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, v. 148, p. 550-564, APR 1 2020. (16/13368-4, 17/16722-6, 18/20482-3, 15/23948-5, 16/24409-3)

MALHEIROS, DAYNA FILOCREAO; SARQUIS, ICARO RODRIGUES; FERREIRA, IRLON MACIEL; MATHEWS, PATRICK DELGADO; MERTINS, OMAR; TAVARES-DIAS, MARCOS. Nanoemulsions with oleoresin of Copaifera reticulata (Leguminosae) improve anthelmintic efficacy in the control of monogenean parasites when compared to oleoresin without nanoformulation. JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES, v. 43, n. 6, APR 2020. (18/20482-3)