First report of three different parasite species in two dolphin species stranded on the coast of Portugal

Understanding the dynamics of the interaction of marine parasites with their hosts, especially in terms of diversity, distribution and pathogenicity can be of great importance in a Global Change era. Monitoring the parasite diversity of marine mammals holds not only ecological importance but also ca...

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Main Authors: João T. Cruz, David W. Ramilo, Jorge Correia, Fernando Afonso, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Luís Cardoso, Alfonso Marzal, Marina Sequeira, Ana Falcão, Luís Madeira de Carvalho
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224425000677
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author João T. Cruz
David W. Ramilo
Jorge Correia
Fernando Afonso
Isabel Pereira da Fonseca
Luís Cardoso
Alfonso Marzal
Marina Sequeira
Ana Falcão
Luís Madeira de Carvalho
author_facet João T. Cruz
David W. Ramilo
Jorge Correia
Fernando Afonso
Isabel Pereira da Fonseca
Luís Cardoso
Alfonso Marzal
Marina Sequeira
Ana Falcão
Luís Madeira de Carvalho
author_sort João T. Cruz
collection DOAJ
description Understanding the dynamics of the interaction of marine parasites with their hosts, especially in terms of diversity, distribution and pathogenicity can be of great importance in a Global Change era. Monitoring the parasite diversity of marine mammals holds not only ecological importance but also can be of significance for public health. However, there is a scarcity of parasitological research on cetaceans in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, namely in Portugal. Here we explore the morphology, diversity and pathogenicity of parasites in two different cetaceans, Delphinus delphis (common dolphin) and Stenella coeruleoalba (striped dolphin), stranded near the coast of Lisbon, Portugal. During their necropsy, three parasite species were collected and preserved in 70 % ethanol. In the laboratory, nematodes were identified as Halocercus delphini, and tetraphyllidean merocercoids as Clistobothrium delphini and Clistobothrium grimaldii. Additionally, C. delphini specimens were classified as belonging to morphotypes B and C. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reference of these three parasites species in Portugal. This information is critical for understanding the impact of these organisms on the health of dolphins and adds information to the parasitological fauna of these hosts.
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spelling doaj-art-41cd170966f34637b35640fe84f3c9e72025-08-20T03:44:58ZengElsevierInternational Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife2213-22442025-08-012710110210.1016/j.ijppaw.2025.101102First report of three different parasite species in two dolphin species stranded on the coast of PortugalJoão T. Cruz0David W. Ramilo1Jorge Correia2Fernando Afonso3Isabel Pereira da Fonseca4Luís Cardoso5Alfonso Marzal6Marina Sequeira7Ana Falcão8Luís Madeira de Carvalho9CIISA – Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal; Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), PortugalFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University – Lisbon University Centre, 1749-024, Lisbon, Portugal; I-MVET – Research in Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University – Lisbon Center, Lisbon, Portugal; Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal; Corresponding author.Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University – Lisbon University Centre, 1749-024, Lisbon, Portugal.CIISA – Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal; Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), PortugalCIISA – Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal; Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), PortugalCIISA – Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal; Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), PortugalAssociate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Portugal; Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal; Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences (ECAV), UTAD, Vila Real, PortugalDepartment of Anatomy, Cellular Biology and Zoology, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain; Wildlife Research Group, San Martin National University, Tarapoto, PeruInstitute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), Avenida Dr. Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho, nº 1, 1495-165, Algés, PortugalInstitute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF), Avenida Dr. Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho, nº 1, 1495-165, Algés, PortugalCIISA – Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal; Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), PortugalUnderstanding the dynamics of the interaction of marine parasites with their hosts, especially in terms of diversity, distribution and pathogenicity can be of great importance in a Global Change era. Monitoring the parasite diversity of marine mammals holds not only ecological importance but also can be of significance for public health. However, there is a scarcity of parasitological research on cetaceans in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, namely in Portugal. Here we explore the morphology, diversity and pathogenicity of parasites in two different cetaceans, Delphinus delphis (common dolphin) and Stenella coeruleoalba (striped dolphin), stranded near the coast of Lisbon, Portugal. During their necropsy, three parasite species were collected and preserved in 70 % ethanol. In the laboratory, nematodes were identified as Halocercus delphini, and tetraphyllidean merocercoids as Clistobothrium delphini and Clistobothrium grimaldii. Additionally, C. delphini specimens were classified as belonging to morphotypes B and C. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reference of these three parasites species in Portugal. This information is critical for understanding the impact of these organisms on the health of dolphins and adds information to the parasitological fauna of these hosts.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224425000677CetaceansHalocercus delphiniClistobothrium grimaldiiClistobothrium delphiniPortugal
spellingShingle João T. Cruz
David W. Ramilo
Jorge Correia
Fernando Afonso
Isabel Pereira da Fonseca
Luís Cardoso
Alfonso Marzal
Marina Sequeira
Ana Falcão
Luís Madeira de Carvalho
First report of three different parasite species in two dolphin species stranded on the coast of Portugal
International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
Cetaceans
Halocercus delphini
Clistobothrium grimaldii
Clistobothrium delphini
Portugal
title First report of three different parasite species in two dolphin species stranded on the coast of Portugal
title_full First report of three different parasite species in two dolphin species stranded on the coast of Portugal
title_fullStr First report of three different parasite species in two dolphin species stranded on the coast of Portugal
title_full_unstemmed First report of three different parasite species in two dolphin species stranded on the coast of Portugal
title_short First report of three different parasite species in two dolphin species stranded on the coast of Portugal
title_sort first report of three different parasite species in two dolphin species stranded on the coast of portugal
topic Cetaceans
Halocercus delphini
Clistobothrium grimaldii
Clistobothrium delphini
Portugal
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224425000677
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