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Jones H, Fenton HMA, Elsmo EJ, Nemeth NM, Garrett KB, Cleveland CA, Yabsley MJ. Case report: Disseminated larval trematodiasis caused by Clinostomum marginatum in a green tree frog (Hyla cinerea). Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2024; 52:101051. [PMID: 38880568 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Clinostomum spp. are common parasites of piscivorous birds. Metacercaria are typically observed in the muscles or just under the skin of fish and rarely amphibians. We describe an unusually severe case of Clinostomum marginatum infection in an adult female green tree frog (Hyla cinerea) from Georgia (USA). The frog was found in November 2015 with a high number (>250) of widely disseminated, raised, subcutaneous nodules. The frog died in December. At necropsy, it was emaciated, and the skin was covered in raised uniform, tan-green, subcutaneous, ∼2-3 mm diameter nodules. Each nodule contained 1-3 C. marginatum metacercariae. Microscopically, high numbers of trematodes were within subcutaneous tissues and in coelomic and oral cavities, lung, liver, kidney, ovary, orbit and calvarium. Small to large numbers of lymphocytes and melanomacrophages were in connective tissues and epidermis. A 732 bp region of COI was 98.8-99.8% similar to numerous sequences of C. marginatum and, phylogenetically it grouped with these C. marginatum sequences. The ITS-1 region was 100% similar to a C. marginatum sample from a great egret (Ardea alba) from Mississippi. This report represents a novel finding of severe trematodiasis in a free-ranging amphibian with C. marginatum infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Håkon Jones
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Health Building, 589 D.W. Brooks Dr., University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Heather M A Fenton
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Health Building, 589 D.W. Brooks Dr., University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Elizabeth J Elsmo
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Health Building, 589 D.W. Brooks Dr., University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Nicole M Nemeth
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Health Building, 589 D.W. Brooks Dr., University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States
| | - Kayla B Garrett
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Health Building, 589 D.W. Brooks Dr., University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Christopher A Cleveland
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Health Building, 589 D.W. Brooks Dr., University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Center for Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Michael J Yabsley
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Health Building, 589 D.W. Brooks Dr., University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Center for Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA; Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
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Manenti R, Mercurio S, Melotto A, Barzaghi B, Epis S, Tecilla M, Pennati R, Scarì GU, Ficetola GF. A New Disease Caused by an Unidentified Etiological Agent Affects European Salamanders. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12060696. [PMID: 35327092 PMCID: PMC8944795 DOI: 10.3390/ani12060696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
New pathologies are causing dramatic declines and extinctions of multiple amphibian species. In 2013, in one fire salamander population of Northern Italy, we found individuals with undescribed cysts at the throat level, a malady whose existence has not previously been reported in amphibians. With the aim of describing this novel disease, we performed repeated field surveys to assess the frequency of affected salamanders from 2014 to 2020, and integrated morphological, histological, and molecular analyses to identify the pathogen. The novel disease affected up to 22% of salamanders of the study population and started spreading to nearby populations. Cysts are formed by mucus surrounding protist-like cells about 30 µm long, characterized by numerous cilia/undulipodia. Morphological and genetic analyses did not yield a clear match with described organisms. The existence of this pathogen calls for the implementation of biosecurity protocols and more studies on the dynamics of transmission and the impact on wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raoul Manenti
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (B.B.); (R.P.); (G.F.F.)
- Correspondence: (R.M.); (S.M.); Tel.: +39-3490733107 (R.M.)
| | - Silvia Mercurio
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (B.B.); (R.P.); (G.F.F.)
- Correspondence: (R.M.); (S.M.); Tel.: +39-3490733107 (R.M.)
| | - Andrea Melotto
- Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa;
| | - Benedetta Barzaghi
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (B.B.); (R.P.); (G.F.F.)
| | - Sara Epis
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (S.E.); (M.T.); (G.U.S.)
| | - Marco Tecilla
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (S.E.); (M.T.); (G.U.S.)
| | - Roberta Pennati
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (B.B.); (R.P.); (G.F.F.)
| | - Giorgio Ulisse Scarì
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (S.E.); (M.T.); (G.U.S.)
| | - Gentile Francesco Ficetola
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (B.B.); (R.P.); (G.F.F.)
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine (LECA), University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, 38400 Grenoble, France
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine (LECA), University Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, 38400 Grenoble, France
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