Dr. George-Nascimento-Failla, Mario

2017, Dr. George-Nascimento-Failla, Mario, Muñoz, Gabriela, Bray, Rodney

Two new digenean species are described from the intertidal blenny Scartichthys viridis (Valenciennes) (Blenniidae) collected off the coasts of Chile. The digenean Monorchimacradena viridis n. sp. (Lecithasteridae: Macradenininae) differs from the only known species described in the genus, M. acanthuri Nahhas and Cable 1964, in the presence of Drüsenmagen in the caeca, the location of the seminal vesicle between the testis and ovary (anterior to the testis in M. viridis n. sp.), and the pre-ovarian vitellarium. Megasolena littoralis n. sp. (Haploporidae), which is also reported from Scartichthys gigas (Steindachner), differs from the five valid species of Megasolena in that the post-caecal region (from the posterior edge of the caeca to the end of the body) is larger in M. viridis n. sp., meaning that the caeca are shortest in this species. Also, M. littoralis n. sp. is distinguished, from the other congeneric species, in a combination of characteristics, e.g., body length, suckers, pharynx, testes, hermaphroditic sac and sucker-length ratio. Sequences of ITS2 rDNA were generated for specimens of both species from various localities, indicating that it was invariant within the species. This study describes species of Monorchimacradena and Megasolena in Chilean waters, here reported for the first time off the Pacific Coast of South America.

2015, George-Nascimento-Failla, Mario, Oliva, Marcelo

Research using parasites infish population studies in the South Eastern Pacific (SEP) is summarized. There are 27 suchstudies (snapshots mainly) in single host species sampled at different geographic localities and at somewhat similar times.They have been devoted mainly to economically important species, though others on coastal and intertidalfish or on less- ornon-commercial species provide insights on scales of temporal and spatial variation of parasite infracommunities. Later, weassess whether the probability of harbouring parasites depends on the host species body size. Our results indicate that astronger tool forfish population studies may be developed under regular (long term) scrutiny of parasite communities,especially of smallfish host species, due to their larger variability in richness, abundance and total biomass, than in largefishspecies. Finally, it might also be necessary to consider the effects offishing on parasite communities as well as the naturaloscillations (coupled or not) of host and parasite populations.

2024, Lugo-Pérez, Luisana, Vera-Escalona, Iván, Dr. George-Nascimento-Failla, Mario, Dr. Brante-Ramirez, Antonio, Dra. Gamboa-Mendez, Maribet

Las especies del género Anisakis (Nematoda: Anisakidae) son parásitos marinos con ciclo de vida indirecto. Los crustáceos planctónicos actúan como primeros hospedadores intermediarios, mientras que peces y cefalópodos intervienen como segundos hospedadores intermediarios o paraténicos, finalmente el ciclo se cierra en los cetáceos, mamíferos marinos que son los principales hospedadores definitivos del género. En el ciclo de vida, las larvas de Anisakis pueden ser ingeridas por el hombre interviniendo como huésped accidental, lo que puede ocasionar anisakiasis, una zoonosis adquirida a través del consumo de peces y cefalópodos crudos o marinados. Estos nemátodos tienen una distribución cosmopolita, sin embargo, su diversidad ha sido escasamente estudiada en el hemisferio Sur. Por tanto, se evaluó la diversidad de las larvas de Anisakis spp., presentes en dos especies de hospederos de Chile, combinando el análisis morfométrico y genético. Para ello, se recolectaron larvas de Anisakis spp. en la cavidad abdominal de la merluza Merluccius gayi y el calamar Dosidicus gigas, procedentes de terminales pesqueros de la región del Biobío, Chile. La caracterización morfométrica de las larvas de Anisakis spp., consistió en la medición de la longitud del esófago, ventrículo esofágico, cola, longitud total y ancho máximo del cuerpo. Para los análisis genéticos se usó la región molecular nuclear ITS (ITS1-ITS2) y mitocondrial COX2. Los resultados morfométricos revelaron que las larvas extraídas de D. gigas son significativamente de mayor longitud que las recolectadas en M. gayi, sugiriendo una alta variabilidad fenotípica hospedador-dependiente. Los análisis moleculares y filogenéticos determinaron la presencia de Anisakis pegreffii en ambos hospedadores, sin embargo, demostraron una baja diferenciación genética y diversidad nucleotídica entre las secuencias, indicando una escasa variabilidad genética para el conjunto de datos. Este trabajo constituye el primer registro molecular de A. pegreffii en hospedadores intermediario o paraténicos de la costa de Chile.

2019, García Huidobro, M. R., Varas, O., George-Nascimento-Failla, Mario, Pulgar, J., Aldana, M., Lardies, M. A., Lagos, N. A.

Biological interactions and environmental constraints alter life-history traits, modifying organismal performances. Trematode parasites often impact their hosts by inducing parasitic castration, frequently correlated with increased body size in the host (i.e., gigantism hypothesis), which is postulated to reflect the re-allocation of energy released by the reduction in the reproductive process. In this study, we compared the effect of a trematode species on shell size and morphology in adult individuals of the intertidal mussels Perumytilus purpuratus (>20 mm) collected from two local populations of contrasting environmental regimes experienced in central-southern Chile. Our field data indicates that in both study locations, parasitized mussels evidenced higher body sizes (shell length, total weight and volume) as compared with non-parasitized. In addition, parasitized mussels from the southern location evidenced thinner shells than non-parasitized ones and those collected from central Chile, suggesting geographical variation in shell carbonate precipitation across intertidal habitats of the Chilean coast. In laboratory conditions, mussels collected from a local population in central Chile were exposed to two temperature treatments (12 and 18 °C). Parasitized mussels showed higher growth rates than non-parasitized, regardless of the seawater temperature treatments. However, the metabolic rate was not influenced by the parasite condition or the temperature treatments. Our field and laboratory results support the parasite-induced gigantism hypothesis, and suggest that both the thermal environment and geographic location explain only a portion of the increased body size, while the parasitic condition is the most plausible factor modulating the outcome of this host-parasite interaction.

2016, Dr. George-Nascimento-Failla, Mario, Hurtado-Ormeño, Claudia

It was assessed the parasitic relationship between by 2 morphospecies of microphallid metacercariae and their second intermediate host, the amphipod Apohyale hirtipalma with the body length and sex of the hosts, and the abundance of shore birds (definitive hosts). Amphipod mortality induced by the parasites was assessed through the relationship between the variance/mean parasite abundance ratio with host body length for each metacercariae morphospecies. Four sites at the Biobío Region (36°S), Chile, were selected because of contrasting abundance of potential definitive hosts (Aves: Laridae), from where 240 amphipods were collected from intertidal pools (60 in each sampling locality). Total prevalence was 57.5% and metacercariae found, belonged to 2 unidentified morphospecies of microphallid subfamilies (Microphallinae, 28.3% and Maritrematinae, 36.7%). The prevalence and abundance of metacercariae increased with the amphipod body, although their variations were associated to the abundance of shorebirds. The prevalence of Microphallinae did not have differences among sexes in their relationship with the host body length, while among Maritrematinae, male amphipods showed higher prevalence than females of similar body length. It was also determined that Maritrematinae would cause more mortality than Microphallinae. Local variations of the abundance of other hosts involved in the microphallid life cycles as well as of prevailing local environmental conditions and amphipod behavior may be keys for a better understanding of the abundance and prevalence variations of these parasites.

2017, Dr. George-Nascimento-Failla, Mario, Fernández-Cisternas, Ítalo, Ojeda, F. Patricio

The coasts of central Chile and central California are important points of comparison in the study of ecological convergence such as a host’s parasite load because of their similar environmental conditions and the shared presence of many families of different species. In this study, the diversity of parasites in fish species from both zones was analyzed and compared to establish if there are similarities between them. The presence of 6 taxonomic groups of parasites was determined using published literature and databases for each location. A presence-absence matrix was created for the fish species studied in Chile and California, and a similarity analysis was carried out to prove whether the parasite loads of both zones were similar. The parasite taxa most frequently found in fish in central California were Digenea and Nematoda, whereas in central Chile the common taxa were Digenea, Annelida, Copepoda, Acanthocephala, and Nematoda. The similarity analysis showed that the parasite composition was different between zones. Nevertheless, overlaps were obtained in the parasitic diversity grouping the host in 3 host groups, one of which consists of hosts from both zones. This difference can be explained by the low parasitic diversity in the assemble of rocky intertidal fishes in California, potentially due to the limited amount of existing studies on intertidal fish parasites in California, along with other possible factors not explored in the present study.

2020, George-Nascimento-Failla, Mario, López-Rodríguez, Ruby, Górski, Konrad

Galaxias maculatus is an abundant freshwater fish species in Chilean continental waters where it plays important ecological functions, yet few parasitological records of this species exist in Chile and all of them cover a very limited geographic range. The objective of this study was to assess large scale geographic variation in composition of parasite infracommunities of Galaxias maculatus. Specifically, parasite infracommunities of this species were compared among 11 locations across 9 degrees of latitude and 3 ecosystem types (lake, river and estuary). Most taxa found had been previously reported in Chile and Argentina. However, this is the first report for Tylodelphys sp. in this host in Chile. Furthermore, the cranial parasite Tylodelphys sp. had the highest overall prevalence and abundance compared to other parasite species. Despite the fact that the abundance of Tylodelphys sp. was not significantly correlated with Fulton’s condition factor of fish, infected fish seem to have a better body condition compared to uninfected ones. The most important source of variation in composition of infracommunities was the sampling location. Furthermore, fish from lakes have a different composition of parasite infracommunities mainly due to higher abundances of Tylodelphys sp.

2018, Muñoz, Gabriela, Vildoso, Francisco, George-Nascimento-Failla, Mario

Notothen fishes (Nototheniidae) have been recorded on the coasts of South America, from 35°S to southern. Little is known about the biology of intertidal notothen fishes or their relationships with other species, including parasites. Here, we analyzed the parasitic fauna of a species of Notothenia collected from the rocky intertidal of Lebu, south-central Chile (36°S) and compared the parasite community of this host with other 9 fish species commonly found in rocky intertidal pools. Among the tested species, Notothenia sp. had the highest parasite richness (21 parasitic taxa vs. 1 to 9 parasitic taxa). The composition of parasite species was different among fishes, with similarity indices between 0 and 33%. The parasite composition of Notothenia sp. was most similar to Calliclinus geniguttatus (27%). The most abundant and prevalent parasites found in Notothenia sp. were the copepod Caligus cf. cheilodactyli, Tetraphyllidea larvae, anisakid nematodes, and several acanthocephalan species, which are typical of other fish from the subtidal and bento-demersal zones. Therefore, we conclude that the juveniles of Notothenia sp. were a few months old and had their parasites when reaching the intertidal zone, acquired some generalist parasites during their stay in this habitat, such as Holobomolochus chilensis and Lecithaster macrocotyle. Most notothen fishes are from Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic waters, therefore, it is possible that this fish came from another habitat but also from the austral region of South America. Notothenia sp. could not be specifically identified because of different results between morphological and genetic analyses.

2020, Aldana, M., Pulgar, J., Hernández, B., George-Nascimento-Failla, Mario, Lagos, N. A., García Huidobro, M. R.

Parasites alter the reproductive performance of their hosts, limit their growth, and thereby modify the energy budget of these hosts. Experimental studies and theoretical models suggest that the outcome of the host-parasite interactions could be determined by ecological factors such as food availability levels in the local habitats. Nutrient inputs may affect the host's food resource availability with positive or negative effects on parasite infection rates and tolerance of infection, however this has not been specifically evaluated in natural systems. In this study, we evaluate the effects of parasitism by Proctoeces humboldti on body size, gonadosomatic index (GSI), and metabolic rate (oxygen consumption) of their second intermediate host Fissurella crassa limpets, under contrasting natural conditions of productivity (upwelling center vs upwelling shadow sites). Our results evidenced that parasitized limpets collected from the intertidal habitat influenced by coastal upwelling site showed greater shell length, muscular foot biomass and GSI as compared to non-parasitized limpets collected in the same site, and compared to parasitized and non-parasitized limpets collected from the sites under the influence of upwelling shadow conditions. Oxygen consumption was lower in parasitized limpets collected from the upwelling-influenced site than in the other groups, independent of age, suggesting reduced metabolic stress in infected individuals inhabiting these productive sites. Our results suggest that increased productivity in upwelling sites could mitigate the conflict for resources in the P. humboldti – F. crassa system, influencing where such interaction is found in the continuum between parasitism and mutualism. Since parasitism is ubiquitous in natural systems, and play important roles in ecological and evolutionary processes, it is important to analyze host-parasite interaction across a variety of ecological conditions, especially in biological conservation.

2016, Dr. George-Nascimento-Failla, Mario, Soto, Juan, Munoz, Gabriela, Gonzalez, Karen, Castro, Mauricio, Ojeda, Patricio

A pesar que la interacción entre parásitos y hospederos es constante, y obligatoria para los parásitos, las variaciones espaciales de estas relaciones son poco conocidas. En este estudio se cuantifica y compara las interacciones parásito-hospedero en peces de pozas intermareales de la zona centro (33°S) y centrosur (36°S) de Chile. Se recolectó un total de 2.081 peces desde 56 pozas intermareales. Se comparó la biomasa y abundancia de peces entre las pozas de las dos zonas: centro (ZC) y centro-sur (ZCS). Para el análisis de las comunidades de parásitos se consideraron especies de peces comunes entre la ZC y ZCS, y se comparó la prevalencia, abundancia, riqueza y diversidad de parásitos. Tanto la abundancia y biomasa de peces como los parámetros comunitarios de parásitos, fueron estandarizados al volumen de la poza (m3). Pese a que hubo diferencias, entre ambas zonas, en la abundancia y biomasa en algunas especies de peces y en al menos un parámetro comunitario de parásitos, esas diferencias desaparecieron luego de estandarizar los datos a m3. Se detectó una media-baja similitud de especies parásitas entre zonas de muestreo (<55%). Sin embargo, los parámetros de interacción parásito-hospedero (conectancia y densidad de vínculos) no fueron distintos. Esto se puede deber, en parte, a la similitud en la riqueza de especies de peces, independiente de la especie de parásito, que mantendría su “carga de especies parásitas”. Las comunidades de parásitos de peces se han determinado como insaturadas, lo que significa que no tienen todas las especies posibles que pueden albergar, por lo que quedarían microhábitats disponibles en los hospederos para ser ocupados por especies parásitas propias de un lugar.