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Elloumi A, Rangel LF, Santos MJ, Bahri S. Myxidium tunisiensis n. sp. (Myxosporea: Myxidiidae) infecting the rough skate Raja radula Delaroche, 1908 (Rajiformes: Rajidae) from North East Tunisia. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:19-33. [PMID: 34494121 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07306-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
A new marine myxosporean, Myxidium tunisiensis n. sp. (Myxosporea: Myxidiidae), is described infecting the gallbladder of the rough skate Raja radula Delaroche, 1908 (Chondrichthyes: Rajidae) harvested from the Bay of Bizerte, Tunisia. Observed stages of the parasite were floating free in the bile. Plasmodia, disporic or polysporic, contain disporic pansporoblasts measuring 23.0-27.2 μm in maximum diameter and 21.0-25.5 μm in minimum diameter. Mature myxospores, which are elongated, typically fusiform measured 18.6 ± 1.7 (17.2-22.0) μm in length, 8.6 ± 1.2 (7.2-11.2) μm in width and 8.2 ± 0.9 (6.4-10.1) in thickness. Myxospore valves are symmetrical with 9-10 longitudinal striations. Two polar capsules, pyriform, were equal in size, measuring 5.8 ± 0.4 (5.2-6.7) μm in length and 3.1 ± 0.2 (3.0-3.2) μm in width, with 5-6 polar filament turns. The infection was prevalent throughout the year with the highest prevalence in autumn (81.8%) and the lowest in winter (32.3%). The seasonal prevalence of M. tunisiensis n. sp. in the Bay of Bizerte appeared to fluctuate according to seawater temperature. The morphological and morphometrical differences with all Myxidium spp. described so far, complemented by molecular data, prove clearly that the present species is a new member of the genus Myxidium. The SSU rDNA phylogenetic analyses revealed that Myxidium tunisiensis n. sp. clustered within the oligochaete-gallbladder clade in a basal position to the marine subclade of Myxidium baueri and Myxidium coryphaenoideum. While the new species branching pattern is stable in the ML and the BI analyses, it changed in the MP analysis. This is the first molecular study of a Myxidium species infecting an elasmobranch host inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amira Elloumi
- Research Laboratory of Biodiversity, Parasitology and Ecology of Aquatic Ecosystems, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, El Manar I, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia.
| | - Luis F Rangel
- Laboratory of Animal Pathology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Maria J Santos
- Laboratory of Animal Pathology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Sihem Bahri
- Research Laboratory of Biodiversity, Parasitology and Ecology of Aquatic Ecosystems, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, El Manar I, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia
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Surendran S, Vijayagopal P, Sanil NK. Sphaeromyxa cornuti n. sp., a New Species of Myxosporean Infecting the Gallbladder of the Moorish Idol, Zanclus cornutus (Linnaeus, 1758) from Lakshadweep Waters. Acta Parasitol 2022; 67:1299-1306. [DOI: 10.1007/s11686-022-00583-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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3
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Carreira KCV, da Silva DT, de Carvalho Sanches O, Matos ER, Hamoy I. Sphaeromyxa azevedoi n. sp. (Myxozoa: Sphaeromyxidae) infecting the gall bladder of Gobioides grahamae (Perciformes: Gobiidae) in the Amazon region. Parasitol Res 2022; 121:867-875. [PMID: 35088135 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-022-07443-5] [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: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Sphaeromyxa azevedoi n. sp. is described from the gall bladder of the goby Gobioides grahamae (Gobiidae) captured on the Paracauari River in Salvaterra, on Marajó Island, northern Brazil. A total of 50 G. grahamae specimens were analysed, and 15 (30%) were parasitised by the plasmodia and myxospore of Sphaeromyxa azevedoi n. sp. Large plasmodia were observed floating in the bile. These plasmodia were flat, rounded, oval or elongated, and of varying sizes. The mature myxospores, found singly or in pairs, were 27.1 ± 2.7 (20.5-30.1) μm Length and 3.8 ± 0.2 (3.5-4.4) μm Width in the valvular view. The myxospore has two polar capsules of equal size, 8.1 ± 0.6 (7.4-9.4) μm in length and 2.9 ± 0.2 (2.3-3.3) μm in width. A polar tubule was observed in each capsule, arranged perpendicularly to the principal axis, with three or four coils. The histological analysis showed that the plasmodia and myxospore are located in the lumen of the gall bladder, arranged in pairs, and the epithelium of the gall bladder presented multifocal necrosis. The SSU rDNA of Sphaeromyxa azevedoi n. sp. clusters in the 'balbianii' group of the Sphaeromyxa clade. The morphological characteristics and molecular phylogeny of Sphaeromyxa azevedoi n. sp. support its classification as a new species of the genus Sphaeromyxa, which represents an important advancement in the understanding of the diversity of the myxozoan parasite fauna of Brazilian fishes, especially considering that the new species may be detrimental to the host, a commercially important Brazilian fish species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Edilson R Matos
- Carlos Azevedo Research Laboratory, Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Avenida Presidente Tancredo Neves, 2501, Montese, Belém, Pará, 66077-901, Brazil.
| | - Igor Hamoy
- Laboratory of Applied Genetics, Federal Rural University of Amazonia (UFRA), Belém, Pará, Brazil
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Vandana VR, Poojary N, Tripathi G, Pavan-Kumar A, Pratapa MG, Sanil NK, Rajendran KV. A novel myxozoan parasite, Ellipsomyxa boleophthalmi sp. nov. (Myxozoa: Ceratomyxidae) in the brackishwater fish, Boleophthalmus dussumieri Valenciennes, 1837 (Perciformes: Gobiidae) from India. Parasitol Res 2021; 120:1269-1279. [PMID: 33615410 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07084-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
A novel myxozoan parasite is identified and described from mudskipper, Boleophthalmus dussumieri, collected from a brackishwater ecosystem in Maharashtra, India. Ellipsomyxa boleophthalmi sp. nov. was found in the gallbladder of 58 of 60 fish examined (96.7%). The parasite formed disporous plasmodia that varied in size and shape, and the thin-walled, ellipsoidal and elongated myxospores measured 9.0-10.7 × 6.0-7.8 μm. The two, spherical polar capsules measured 2.7 μm in diameter and enclosed 3-4 coils of polar tubules. Histological observations of infected gallbladder revealed the attachment of disporous plasmodial stages of the parasite to the gallbladder wall with fine pseudopodia. Under the scanning electron microscope (SEM), the myxospores showed a distinct central sutural line and two distinct depressions on the opposite sides at the openings of polar capsules. SEM also revealed the engulfment of microvilli of gallbladder wall by pseudopodia of the plasmodial stages. Analysis of the partial fragment of the SSU rDNA region (1386 bp) showed less than 98% sequence similarity with the other reported Ellipsomyxa spp. In the phylogenetic tree, the present species formed as a distinct subclade within the major clade of Ellipsomyxa spp. The unique morphological and morphometric features of the myxospore, together with the molecular analysis, allowed us to conclude that the present myxozoan is a new species and is named Ellipsomyxa boleophthalmi sp. nov., after the generic name of the host. This is the first report on the occurrence of the genus Ellipsomyxa in B. dussumieri.
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Affiliation(s)
- V R Vandana
- ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Panch Marg, Off Yari Road, Versova, Andheri (W), Mumbai, 400061, India
| | - Nalini Poojary
- ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Panch Marg, Off Yari Road, Versova, Andheri (W), Mumbai, 400061, India
| | - Gayatri Tripathi
- ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Panch Marg, Off Yari Road, Versova, Andheri (W), Mumbai, 400061, India
| | - A Pavan-Kumar
- ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Panch Marg, Off Yari Road, Versova, Andheri (W), Mumbai, 400061, India
| | - M G Pratapa
- ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Panch Marg, Off Yari Road, Versova, Andheri (W), Mumbai, 400061, India
| | - N K Sanil
- ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Post Box No. 1603, Ernakulam North P.O., Kochi, Kerala, 682018, India
| | - K V Rajendran
- ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Panch Marg, Off Yari Road, Versova, Andheri (W), Mumbai, 400061, India.
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Bouderbala K, Rangel LF, Santos MJ, Bahri S. Zschokkella epinepheli n. sp. (Myxosporea: Myxidiidae) infecting the gallbladder of the white grouper Epinephelus aeneus (Serranidae) from Tunisian waters. Parasitol Res 2020; 120:45-54. [PMID: 33230611 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06977-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
A new coelozoic myxosporean species, Zschokkella epinepheli n. sp., collected from the gallbladder of the white grouper Epinephelus aeneus (Perciformes: Serranidae) from the bay of Bizerte, Tunisia, is described based on morphological and molecular characteristics. Myxospores and plasmodia were observed floating free in the bile. Mature plasmodia were polysporic and subspherical in shape, measuring 85.0-94.0 μm long and 70.0-82.0 μm wide. Mature myxospores were ovoid in valvular view, measuring 10.0 ± 1.7 (8.0-11.0) μm in length and 7.0 ± 0.3 (6.6-7.5) μm in width. Polar capsules were pyriform and equal in size, measuring 3.0 ± 0.2 (2.8-3.6) μm in length and 2.3 ± 0.3 (1.8-2.7) μm in width. Myxospore valves had 12-14 longitudinal striations. Based on the small subunit rDNA, the new species Z. epinepheli n. sp. differs from all other Zschokkella species for which there is a DNA sequence deposited in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Z. epinepheli n. sp. clustered in the marine subclade of Zschokkella species within the biliary tract IV clade. This is the first report of a Zschokkella species from the gallbladder of an epinephelin fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khouloud Bouderbala
- Laboratory of Biodiversity, Parasitology and Ecology of Aquatic Ecosystems, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia.
| | - Luis F Rangel
- Laboratory of Animal Pathology, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences (FCUP), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J Santos
- Laboratory of Animal Pathology, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences (FCUP), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR/CIMAR), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sihem Bahri
- Laboratory of Biodiversity, Parasitology and Ecology of Aquatic Ecosystems, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia
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Qing X, Chen W, Li C, Yang C, Zhao Y. The first report of two Sphaeromyxa species (Myxozoa: Bivalvulida) from the South China Sea: Sphaeromyxa scorpaena n. sp. from long-fingered scorpionfish (Scorpaenodes albaiensis) and Sphaeromyxa theraponi from tiger perch (Terapon jarbua). Parasitol Res 2020; 119:3617-3625. [PMID: 32833049 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06858-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Two myxosporean species of the genus Sphaeromyxa were isolated from the gallbladders of marine fish in the South China Sea. Sphaeromyxa scorpaena n. sp. was collected from Scorpaenodes albaiensis Evermann and Seale, 1907. The mature myxospores were arcuate-shaped with tapered to pointed ends, and a length of 14.1 ± 0.7 (13.8-15.1) μm and a width of 5.2 ± 0.3 (4.9-5.8) μm. The polar capsules (PCs) were pyriform with a length of 3.2 ± 0.2 (3.1-3.5) μm and a width of 1.6 ± 0.1 (1.4-1.8) μm, and containing ribbon-like polar filaments irregularly folded 1.5-2.5 turns. Molecular characteristics and phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rDNA as well as morphological comparison confirmed that S. scorpaena n. sp. was a previously undescribed species. Sphaeromyxa theraponi, isolated from Terapon jarbua Forsskål, 1775, was reported for the first time from the South China Sea. The mature myxospores were slightly arched, tapering to bluntly rounded ends, with a length of 17.3 ± 0.9 (15.5-19.4) μm and a width of 4.8 ± 0.3 (4.1-5.3) μm. A sporoplasm was situated in the space between PCs in the myxospore. The PCs were pyriform, which contained ribbon-like polar filaments irregularly folded by 2-3 turns, with a length of 7.0 ± 0.5 (5.8-8.1) μm and a width of 2.6 ± 0.2 (2.2-3.0) μm. Our morphological and phylogenetic analyses suggest that the pointed ends of S. scorpaena n. sp. might be a secondarily acquired characteristic rather than an ancestral trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Qing
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Chen
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, People's Republic of China
| | - Chao Li
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, People's Republic of China
| | - Chengzhong Yang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanjun Zhao
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, People's Republic of China.
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Morphological and molecular descriptions of Sphaeromyxa sevastopoli (Cnidaria) from host fishes from Sinop on the Black Sea coast. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:2463-2471. [PMID: 32529296 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06740-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Members of the genus Sphaeromyxa Thélohan, 1892 have been reported from a wide variety of fish species worldwide. In the present study, specimens of rusty blenny, Parablennius sanguinolentus, collected from Sinop on the Turkish Black Sea coast were investigated for myxosporean parasites by using both conventional and molecular methods. Sphaeromyxa sevastopoli Naidenova 1970 was the only myxosporean parasite found in the gall bladder of host fishes. The morphology peculiarities of obtained S. sevastopoli spores are in good agreement with those of original description and the morphometric data overlapped in spore length and width but differed in polar capsule length and width; however, they were within the ranges previously reported from 18 host fish species. Moreover, in the present study, molecular analysis of the 18S rDNA gene of S. sevastopoli isolate in our P. sanguinolentus as well as isolates from shore rockling Gaidropsarus mediterraneus and knout goby Mesogobius batrachocephalus which were previously morphologically identified and reported by Okkay and Özer (Acta Zool Bulg 72(1):123-130, 2020) was done for the first time and our three S. sevastopoli genotypes were allocated to the "balbianii" group which is characterized by straight or slightly curved and fusiform or ovoid spores with ovoid polar capsules.
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Freeman MA, Yanagida T, Kristmundsson À. A novel histozoic myxosporean, Enteromyxum caesio n. sp., infecting the redbelly yellowtail fusilier, Caesio cuning, with the creation of the Enteromyxidae n. fam., to formally accommodate this commercially important genus. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9529. [PMID: 32742799 PMCID: PMC7367052 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal myxosporean parasites from the genus Enteromyxum are known to cause severe disease, resulting in high mortalities in numerous species of cultured marine fishes globally. Originally described as Myxidium spp., they were transferred to a new genus, Enteromyxum, to emphasize their novel characteristics. Their retention in the family Myxidiidae at the time was warranted, but more comprehensive phylogenetic analyses have since demonstrated the need for a new family for these parasites. We discovered a novel Enteromyxum in wild fish from Malaysia and herein describe the fourth species in the genus and erect a new family, the Enteromyxidae n. fam., to accommodate them. Enteromyxum caesio n. sp. is described infecting the tissues of the stomach in the redbelly yellowtail fusilier, Caesio cuning, from Malaysia. The new species is distinct from all others in the genus, as the myxospores although morphologically similar, are significantly smaller in size. Furthermore, small subunit ribosomal DNA sequence data reveal that E. caesio is <84% similar to others in the genus, but collectively they form a robust and discrete clade, the Enteromyxidae n. fam., which is placed as a sister taxon to other histozoic marine myxosporeans. In addition, we describe, using transmission electron microscopy, the epicellular stages of Enteromyxum fugu and show a scanning electron micrograph of a mature myxospore of E. caesio detailing the otherwise indistinct sutural line, features of the polar capsules and spore valve ridges. The Enteromyxidae n. fam. is a commercially important group of parasites infecting the gastrointestinal tract of marine fishes and the histozoic species can cause the disease enteromyxosis in intensive finfish aquaculture facilities. Epicellular and sloughed histozoic stages are responsible for fish-to-fish transmission in net pen aquaculture systems but actinospores from an annelid host are thought to be necessary for transmission to fish in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Freeman
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
| | - Tetsuya Yanagida
- Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yoshida, Yamaguchi, Japan
| | - Àrni Kristmundsson
- Institute for Experimental Pathology at Keldur, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
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Chen W, Yang C, Whipps CM, Peng Z, Zhao Y. Taxonomy on three novel species of Sphaeromyxa Thélohan 1892 (Myxozoa, Bivalvulida, Sphaeromyxidae) with insight into the evolution of the genus. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:1493-1503. [PMID: 32185480 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06656-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Three new myxosporeans of the genus Sphaeromyxa Thélohan 1892 were discovered from the coastal waters off Xiamen in the East China Sea and characterized based on morphological and SSU rDNA data. Sphaeromyxa photopectoralis sp. n. was described from Photopectoralis bindus, and Sphaeromyxa sebastisca sp. n. was described infecting both Sebastiscus marmoratus (type-host) and Scorpaenopsis cirrosa. These two species are morphologically consistent with the "balbianii" group, possessing straight myxospores and truncated ends, but are distinct from one another genetically and by myxospore dimensions. A third myxosporean infecting Siganus fuscescens was described as Sphaeromyxa xiamenensis sp. n., and this species is morphologically consistent with the "incurvata" group, bearing arcuate myxospores with rounded ends. The molecular phylogeny and estimated rRNA secondary structure suggest that marine sphaeromyxids are probably derived from freshwater myxidiids, and "incurvata" and "balbianii" groups might each represent independent evolutionary lineages. The present study also shows that S. limocapitis phylogenetically nested in "incurvata" group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chen
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China.,Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Chengzhong Yang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Christopher M Whipps
- Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), 246 Illick Hall, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA
| | - Zuogang Peng
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yuanjun Zhao
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
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Okamura B, Hartigan A, Naldoni J. Extensive Uncharted Biodiversity: The Parasite Dimension. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 58:1132-1145. [PMID: 29860443 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasites are often hidden in their hosts and exhibit patchy spatial distributions. This makes them relatively difficult to detect and sample. Consequently we have poor knowledge of parasite diversities, distributions, and extinction. We evaluate our general understanding of parasite diversity and highlight the enormous bias in research on parasites such as helminths and arthropods that infect vertebrate hosts. We then focus on Myxozoa as an exemplary case for demonstrating uncharted parasite diversity. Myxozoans are a poorly recognized but speciose clade of endoparasitic cnidarians with complex life cycles that have radiated to exploit freshwater, marine, and terrestrial hosts by adopting strategies convergent to those of parasitic protists. Myxozoans are estimated to represent some 20% of described cnidarian species-greatly outnumbering the combined species richness of scyphozoans, cubozoans, and staurozoans. We summarize limited understanding of myxozoan diversification and geographical distributions, and highlight gaps in knowledge and approaches for measuring myxozoan diversity. We close by reviewing methods and problems in estimating parasite extinction and concerns about extinction risks in view of the fundamental roles parasites play in ecosystem dynamics and in driving host evolutionary trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth Okamura
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Ashlie Hartigan
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Juliana Naldoni
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Diadema, SP 09972-270, Brazil
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Freeman MA, Kristmundsson Á. Studies of Myxidium giardi Cépède, 1906 infections in Icelandic eels identifies a genetically diverse clade of myxosporeans that represents the Paramyxidium n. g. (Myxosporea: Myxidiidae). Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:551. [PMID: 30348210 PMCID: PMC6198514 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3087-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The myxosporean Myxidium giardi Cépède, 1906 was described infecting the kidney of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla (L.), having spindle-shaped myxospores and terminal sub-spherical polar capsules. Since then, numerous anguillid eels globally have been documented to have similar Myxidium infections. Many of these have been identified using the morphological features of myxospores or by the location of infection in the host, and some have been subsequently synonymised with M. giardi. Therefore, it is not clear whether M. giardi is a widely distributed parasite, infecting numerous species of eels, in multiple organs, or whether some infections represent other, morphologically similar but different species of myxosporeans. The aim of the present study was to assess the status of M. giardi infections in Icelandic eels, and related fish hosts in Malaysia and to use spore morphology and molecular techniques to evaluate the diversity of myxosporeans present. RESULTS The morphologies of the myxospores from Icelandic eels were very similar but the overall dimensions were significantly different from the various tissue locations. Myxospores from the kidney of the Malaysian tarpon, Megalops cyprinoides (Broussonet), were noticeably smaller. However, the SSU rDNA sequences from the different tissues locations in eels, were all very distinct, with percentage similarities ranging from 92.93% to as low as 89.8%, with the sequence from Malaysia being even more dissimilar. Molecular phylogenies consistently placed these sequences together in a clade that we refer to as the Paramyxidium clade that is strongly associated with the Myxidium clade (sensu stricto). We erect the genus Paramyxidium n. g. (Myxidiidae) to accommodate these histozoic taxa, and transfer Myxidium giardi as Paramyxidium giardi Cépède, 1906 n. comb. as the type-species. CONCLUSIONS There is not a single species of Myxidium (M. giardi) causing systemic infections in eels in Iceland. There are three species, confirmed with a robust phylogeny, one of which represents Paramyxidium giardi n. comb. Additional species probably exist that infect different tissues in the eel and the site of infection in the host fish is an important diagnostic feature for this group (Paramyxidium n. g. clade). Myxospore morphology is generally conserved in the Paramyxidium clade, although actual spore dimensions can vary between some species. Paramyxidium spp. are currently only known to infect fishes from the Elopomorpha.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. Freeman
- Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
| | - Árni Kristmundsson
- Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
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Miller TL, Barnett SK, Seymour JE, Jenkins TP, McNamara M, Adlard RD. Biliary Tract-Infecting Myxosporeans from Estuarine and Reef Stonefish (Scorpaeniformes: Synanceiidae) Off Eastern Australia, with Descriptions of Sphaeromyxa horrida n. sp. and Myxidium lapipiscis n. sp. (Myxosporea: Bivalvulida). J Parasitol 2018; 104:254-261. [PMID: 29451425 DOI: 10.1645/17-79] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Two new species of myxosporeans are described from the gallbladders of estuarine stonefish, Synanceia horrida, and reef stonefish, Synanceia verrucosa, from localities off Cairns, in tropical north Queensland and in Moreton Bay in southern Queensland, Australia. Sphaeromyxa horrida n. sp. can be distinguished from congeners in the morphologically distinct "balbianii" species group within Sphaeromyxa on the basis of morphometric differences in length and width of mature spores, length and width of polar capsules, and unique small-subunit (SSU) ribosomal (rDNA) sequence composition relative to other taxa. Replicate SSU rDNA sequences generated from Sph. horrida n. sp. collected from Sy. horrida and Sy. verrucosa in tropical north Queensland and from Sy. horrida in Moreton Bay were identical, suggesting that this species is widely distributed along the east coast of Australia. Myxidium lapipiscis n. sp. can be distinguished from the majority of described Myxidium species on the basis of its relatively small mature spore size (6.1-7.9 μm long × 3.1-3.9 μm wide), and its unique SSU rDNA sequence. Specimens putatively identified as M. lapipiscis n. sp. were found in Sy. horrida from both tropical north Queensland and Moreton Bay, suggesting that this taxon is also widely distributed along the east coast of Australia. However, no molecular data were available for the specimens from tropical north Queensland for comparative genetic analyses. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analysis of the SSU rDNA sequences for these 2 new species revealed that Sph. horrida n. sp. formed a strongly supported clade with Sphaeromyxa zaharoni Diamant, Whipps, and Kent, 2004, which was described from the scorpaeniform, Pterois miles, from the Red Sea. This is the first report of myxozoans infecting stonefish (Synanceiidae).
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Affiliation(s)
- Terrence L Miller
- 1 Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia.,2 Fish Health Laboratory, Department of Fisheries Western Australia, South Perth, Western Australia 6151, Australia
| | - Samantha K Barnett
- 3 Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Queensland Tropical Health Alliance, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia
| | - Jamie E Seymour
- 3 Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Queensland Tropical Health Alliance, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia
| | - Timothy P Jenkins
- 1 Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia.,4 Department of Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge Veterinary School, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0ES, U.K
| | - Marissa McNamara
- 5 Parasitology and Marine Biodiversity, Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia
| | - Robert D Adlard
- 5 Parasitology and Marine Biodiversity, Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Queensland Museum, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia
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Freeman MA, Fuss J, Kristmundsson Á, Bjorbækmo MF, Mangot JF, del Campo J, Keeling PJ, Shalchian-Tabrizi K, Bass D. X-Cells Are Globally Distributed, Genetically Divergent Fish Parasites Related to Perkinsids and Dinoflagellates. Curr Biol 2017; 27:1645-1651.e3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.04.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2017] [Revised: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Freeman MA, Kristmundsson Á. Histozoic myxosporeans infecting the stomach wall of elopiform fishes represent a novel lineage, the Gastromyxidae. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:517. [PMID: 26453151 PMCID: PMC4600289 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-1140-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2015] [Accepted: 10/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traditional studies on myxosporeans have used myxospore morphology as the main criterion for identification and taxonomic classification, and it remains important as the fundamental diagnostic feature used to confirm myxosporean infections in fish and other vertebrate taxa. However, its use as the primary feature in systematics has led to numerous genera becoming polyphyletic in subsequent molecular phylogenetic analyses. It is now known that other features, such as the site and type of infection, can offer a higher degree of congruence with molecular data, albeit with its own inconsistencies, than basic myxospore morphology can reliably provide. METHODS Histozoic gastrointestinal myxosporeans from two elopiform fish from Malaysia, the Pacific tarpon Megalops cyprinoides and the ten pounder Elops machnata were identified and described using morphological, histological and molecular methodologies. RESULTS The myxospore morphology of both species corresponds to the generally accepted Myxidium morphotype, but both had a single nucleus in the sporoplasm and lacked valvular striations. In phylogenetic analyses they were robustly grouped in a discrete clade basal to myxosporeans, with similar shaped myxospores, described from gill monogeneans, which are located at the base of the multivalvulid clade. New genera Gastromyxum and Monomyxum are erected to accommodate these myxosporean taxa from fish and gill monogeneans respectively. Each are placed in a new family, the Gastromyxidae with Gastromyxum as the type genus and Monomyxidae with Monomyxum as the type genus. CONCLUSIONS To improve modern systematics of the myxosporeans it is clear that a combination of biological, ecological, morphological and molecular data should be used in descriptive studies, and the naming and redistribution of taxa and genera is going to be necessary to achieve this. Here we demonstrate why some Myxidium-shaped myxospores should not be included in the family Myxidiidae, and create two new families to accommodate them based on their site of infection, host biology / ecology, DNA sequence data and morphological observations. Subsequent descriptive works need to follow a similar course if we are going to create a prevailing and workable systematic structure for the Myxosporea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Freeman
- Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, St. Kitts, West Indies.
- Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| | - Árni Kristmundsson
- Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
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Synopsis of the species of the genus Sphaeromyxa Thélohan, 1892 (Myxosporea: Bivalvulida: Variisporina: Sphaeromyxidae). Syst Parasitol 2015; 92:81-99. [DOI: 10.1007/s11230-015-9591-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Evolutionary origin of Ceratonova shasta and phylogeny of the marine myxosporean lineage. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2015; 86:75-89. [PMID: 25797924 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2014] [Revised: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 03/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
In order to clarify the phylogenetic relationships among the main marine myxosporean clades including newly established Ceratonova clade and scrutinizing their evolutionary origins, we performed large-scale phylogenetic analysis of all myxosporean species from the marine myxosporean lineage based on three gene analyses and statistical topology tests. Furthermore, we obtained new molecular data for Ceratonova shasta, C. gasterostea, eight Ceratomyxa species and one Myxodavisia species. We described five new species: Ceratomyxa ayami n. sp., C. leatherjacketi n. sp., C. synaphobranchi n. sp., C. verudaensis n. sp. and Myxodavisia bulani n. sp.; two of these formed a new, basal Ceratomyxa subclade. We identified that the Ceratomyxa clade is basal to all other marine myxosporean lineages, and Kudoa with Enteromyxum are the most recently branching clades. Topologies were least stable at the nodes connecting the marine urinary clade, the marine gall bladder clade and the Ceratonova clade. Bayesian inference analysis of SSU rDNA and the statistical tree topology tests suggested that Ceratonova is closely related to the Enteromyxum and Kudoa clades, which represent a large group of histozoic species. A close relationship between Ceratomyxa and Ceratonova was not supported, despite their similar myxospore morphologies. Overall, the site of sporulation in the vertebrate host is a more accurate predictor of phylogenetic relationships than the morphology of the myxospore.
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Morphology and phylogeny of two new species of Sphaeromyxa Thélohan, 1892 (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) from marine fish (Clinidae and Trachichthyidae). Parasitology 2014; 142:660-74. [DOI: 10.1017/s0031182014001723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARYOur survey of marine fish from South Africa and Indonesia revealed the presence of two new myxosporean species of the genus Sphaeromyxa for which we provide morphological and sequence data. Sphaeromyxa clini n. sp. detected in three Clinus spp. and Muraenoclinus dorsalis from South Africa is morphologically similar to Sphaeromyxa noblei previously described from Heteroclinus whiteleggii from Australia and to several other sphaeromyxids with arcuate spores and rounded ends. This similarity is reflected by phylogenetic positioning of S. clini n. sp. which clusters within the ‘incurvata’ group of the Sphaeromyxa clade. It differs from morphologically similar species by spore and polar capsule dimensions, host specificity and geographic distribution. Sphaeromyxa limocapitis n. sp., described from Gephyroberyx darwinii from Java, is morphologically similar to sphaeromyxids with straight spores and to marine Myxidium species with spindle-shaped spores but differs from them by spore and polar capsule dimensions, host specificity and geographic distribution. S. limocapitis n. sp. represents a separate lineage of the Sphaeromyxa clade and appears to be a missing link in the evolution of sphaeromyxids.
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Kristmundsson A, Freeman MA. Negative effects of Kudoa islandica n. sp. (Myxosporea: Kudoidae) on aquaculture and wild fisheries in Iceland. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE 2014; 3:135-46. [PMID: 25161912 PMCID: PMC4142268 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2014.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2014] [Revised: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
A novel myxosporean species, Kudoa islandica, is described. It is prevalent in lumpfish and Atlantic and spotted wolffish. It causes extensive post mortem myoliquefaction. It was a major factor in the closure of spotted wolffish farming in Iceland. It infects fish from different taxonomic orders and could be a concern in aquaculture.
In the early 2000s, experimental rearing of spotted wolffish, Anarhichas minor, was started in Iceland. Health surveillance, carried out at regular intervals during the rearing period, revealed persistent and highly prevalent Kudoa infections of fish muscles which caused great financial losses due to post mortem myoliquefaction. In addition, during the traditional process of drying and smoking wild Atlantic lumpfish, Cyclopterus lumpus, the muscles from some fish almost completely disappear and the fish have to be discarded. To describe the etiological agent responsible for these conditions, spotted wolffish, Atlantic wolffish Anarhichas lupus, northern wolffish Anarhichas denticulatus and Atlantic lumpfish were caught off the Icelandic coast and examined for the presence of Kudoa. We describe a novel myxosporean, Kudoa islandica n. sp., using morphological and molecular data, and show with histopathology that it causes extensive myoliquefaction in three different wild fish hosts, which all are commercially valuable species in Iceland. Although some spore dimensions varied significantly between fish species, the molecular analyses showed that the same parasite was responsible for infection in all fish. The northern wolffish was not found to be infected. Although robustly placed in the Kudoa clade in phylogenetic analyses, K. islandica was phylogenetically distinct from other kudoids. A single myxosporean, K. islandica, is responsible for the infections in the somatic muscles of lumpfish and wolffish, causing extensive post mortem myoliquefaction. This myxosporean is likely to infect other fish species and it is important to study its life cycle in order to evaluate any threat to salmonid culture via the use of lumpfish as a biocontrol for sea lice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arni Kristmundsson
- Institute for Experimental Pathology at Keldur, University of Iceland, Keldnavegur 1-3, IS-112, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Mark Andrew Freeman
- Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Karlsbakk E, Einen ACB, Bartosová P. Sphaeromyxa artedielli sp. n. (Myxozoa: Sphaeromyxidae), a parasite of sculpins (Cottidae) in northern Norway. Folia Parasitol (Praha) 2014; 60:425-32. [PMID: 24471284 DOI: 10.14411/fp.2013.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Sphaeromyxa artedielli sp. n. is described from the gall bladder of the Atlantic hookear sculpin Artediellus atlanticus Jordan et Evermann (Cottidae; type host) from northern Norway. The parasite was also found to infect Triglops murrayi Günther (Cottidae). Spores are produced in disporic pansporoblasts in large flat plasmodia. Spores are straight and fusiform with truncated ends, and measure 16.5-18.7 microm x 4.9-6.2 microm. Valves are thick, striated and suture line is straight. Two equal ovoid polar capsules measure 4.2-6.8 microm x 2.9-4.4 microm and contain irregularly folded polar filaments. Distinctive features include spore shape and size, spore length/width relationship, striated valves, equal polar capsules and a short intercapsular distance. Sphaeromyxa bonaerensis Timi et Sardella, 1998, Sphaeromyxa cannolii Sears, Anderson et Greiner, 2011, and Sphaeromyxa sevastopoli Naidenova, 1970 produce straight spores with truncated ends that are of similar length as those of the new species. Sphaeromyxa cannolii differs in showing smooth spores with unequal polar capsules. The new species differs from S. bonaerensis and S. sevastopoli in significantly wider spores and polar capsules. Sphaeromyxa balbianii Thélohan, 1892, a species originally described with significantly smaller spores than S. artedielli sp. n., has previously been recorded from T. murrayi. We show that S. artedielli sp. n. differs from S. balbianii from the type host Gaidropsarus vulgaris (Cloquet) by its SSU rDNA sequence, and suggest that Atlantic records of Sphaeromyxa spp. from T. murrayi represent S. artedielli sp. n. The closest relative to S. artedielli sp. n. according to the SSU rDNA sequences, S. longa Dunkerly, 1921, differs clearly by spore size and shape. In the SSU rDNA-based phylogenetic analyses, S. artedielli sp. n. groups with other Sphaeromyxa spp. with straight spores and truncated ends in a clade that represents a sister-group to Sphaeromyxa spp. with arcuate spores and rounded ends. Our results indicate that an SSU rDNA pseudogene is present in S. balbianii.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Pavla Bartosová
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Ceské Budĕjovice, Czech Republic
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Heiniger H, Adlard RD. Relatedness of novel species of Myxidium Bütschli, 1882, Zschokkella Auerbach, 1910 and Ellipsomyxa Køie, 2003 (Myxosporea: Bivalvulida) from the gall bladders of marine fishes (Teleostei) from Australian waters. Syst Parasitol 2014; 87:47-72. [DOI: 10.1007/s11230-013-9454-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2013] [Accepted: 10/24/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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