COELOMOMYCES PSOROPHORAE VAR. PSOROPHORAE (PHYCOMYCETES: BLASTOCLADIALES) I N AEDES CASPIUS
(DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) IN NORTH EASTERN ITALY
TAMPIERI M.P.*, CANCRINI G.**, FRANGIPANE D I R E G A L B O N O A.***, GALUPPI R.* & PIETROBELLI M.****
S u m m a r y :
Coelomomyces psorophorae var. psorophorae is herein reported for the first time in Italy in nine out of 2 , 2 0 7 adults of Aedes caspius examined. In parasitized mosquitoes the abdomen was packed with yellow-brown, ovoid resting sporangia with morphological features (size, shape, wall ornamentation and dehiscence slit), defined via light and electronmicroscopy, allowing the classification of the parasite as C. psorophorae var.
psorophorae.
KEY WORDS :
Coelomomyces psorophorae, Aedes caspius, Italy.Résumé :
COELOMOMYCES PSOROPHORAE VAR. PSOROPHORAE (PHYCOMYCETES: BLASTOCLADIALES) DANS AEDES CASPIUS (DIPTERA:CULICIDAE) AU NORD-EST D'ITALIE.
Il s'agit de la première observation en Italie de Coelomomyces psorophorae var. psorophorae observé dans neuf exemplaires parmi 2207 Aedes caspius examinés. L'abdomen des moustiques parasités était rempli de sporanges jaune-brunâtres ovoïdes dont les traits morphologiques, voir les mesures, la forme, les
ornementations de la paroi et la ligne de déhiscence, observés en microscopie optique à lumière directe et en microscopie électronique, nous ont permis l'identification du parasite Coelomomyces psorophorae var. psorophorae.
MOTS CLÉS : Coelomomyces psorophorae, Aedes caspius, Italie.
INTRODUCTION
D
uring a study o f the biology a n d life cycle o f Setaria labiate/papillosa, a filarial nematode o f the b o v i n e peritoneal cavity, 1 6 , 1 5 9 adult m o s q u i t o e s w e r e c o l l e c t e d from 2 9 J u n e to 2 9 Sep- t e m b e r 1 9 9 4 o n a farm in the Udine province (Friuli- Venezia Giulia, N E Italy) (Pietrobelli et al., 1995 a; Pie- trobelli et al., 1995 b; Cancrini et al., 1 9 9 6 ) . O f over 3 , 0 4 0 females identified a n d dissected, 2,207 w e r e classified as Aedes caspius. Among these, nine w e r e found having the h a e m o c o e l p a c k e d with y e l l o w - b r o w n , ovoid resting sporangia characteristic o f the g e n u s Coelomomyces. This g e n u s (family C o e l o m o -* Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria e Patologia Animale, Università di Bologna. Ozzano Emilia, Italy;
** Istituto di Parassitologia, Università di Roma « La Sapienza », Roma, Italy.
*** Dipartimento di Scienze della Produzione Animale, Università di Udine, Udine, Italy.
**** Istituto di Patologia e Igiene Veterinaria, Università di Padova, Legnare, Italy.
Correspondence : Maria Paola Tampieri.
Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria e Patologia Animale, Via Tolara di Sopra, 50 - 40064 Ozzano Emilia-Bologna, Italy.
Tel. : 051/792002 - Fax 051/792039.
m y c e t a c e a e , order Blastocladiales) w a s established b y Keilin ( 1 9 2 1 ) to include a fungus from the c o e l o m o f a single larva o f Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus col- l e c t e d in Malaya. T h e type s p e c i e s , C. stegomyiae Keilin, was described to have ·< thick-walled, yellowish, oval bodies that, along with coenocytic, irregular m y c e - lium c o m p l e t e l y fill the b o d y cavity o f t h e larva ».
This paper reports, for the first time in Italy, the occur- rence o f Coelomomyces psorophorae var. psorophorae, in adults o f Aedes caspius.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
S
p e c i m e n s stored in either 7 0 % ethanol o r in dis- tilled water w e r e dissected and m o u n t e d in lac- t o p h e n o l or lactophenol-cotton blue o n micro- s c o p e slides for examination b y phase contrast a n d bright-field microscopy. Sporangial measurements were obtained b y the use o f a drawing apparatus (camera lucida) a n d stage micrometer.S p e c i m e n s w e r e also prepared for scanning (SEM) and transmission ( Т Е М ) e l e c t r o n m i c r o s c o p y with rou
tine techniques, a n d e x a m i n e d in an Autoscan Etec ( S i e m e n s ) at an accelerating voltage o f 2 0 kV for SEM and with a Zeiss EM 109 e l e c t r o n m i c r o s c o p e for ТЕМ.
Parasite, 1997. 4. 383-385
Note de recherche 383
Article available athttp://www.parasite-journal.orgorhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1051/parasite/1997044383
TAMPIERI M P . , CANCRINI G., FRANGIPANE D I R E G A L B O N O Α., GALUPPI R. & PIETROBELLI M.
RESULTS
R
esting sporangia are ellipsoid, frequently flattened on o n e side, with c o l o r varying from a m b e r to g o l d e n b r o w n (Fig. 1 ) . Sporangial d i m e n s i o n s ( n = 5 5 ) are: length 7 0 - 1 2 0 pm, m e a n 94.1 pm ( D S ± 9 . 2 ) ; width 3 8 - 7 8 pm, m e a n 5 5 . 8 pm (DS ± 1 0 . 2 ) . T h e wall is 2-5 pm thick and appears as a two-layer wall: a h o m o g e n e o u s l y osmiophilic layer ( o u t e r wall layer) transected b y lacunae, and a e l e c tron-translucent layer (inner wall layer) (Fig. 2 ) . T h e surface o f the sporangial wall bears numerous ran
domly arranged p u n c t a e (Figs. 3, 4 ) . T h e d e h i s c e n c e slit is visible along o n e side o f sporangia, usually the most c o n v e x (Figs. 3, 5 ) .
Fig. 1. — Resting sporangia of C. psorophorae var. psorophorae.
liar = 10 pm.
Fig. 2. — Transmission electron micrograph: empty sporangium sho
wing remaining two wall layers. Bar = 1 pm.
Fig. 3- — C. psorophorae var. psorophorae. Surface view of resting sporangia. The dehiscence slit is visible along one side of the spo
rangium. Bar = 10 μηι.
Fig. 4. — Scanning electron micrograph: sporangial surface ornateci with numerous punctae. Bar = 2 pm.
Fig. 5. — С. psorophorae var. psorophorae. Scanning electron micro
graphs of resting sporangium. The dehiscence slit is visible along one side. Bar = 20 pm.
3 8 4 N o t e d e r e c h e r c h e Parasite, 1997, 4. 393-385
COELOMOMYCES PSOROPHORAE IN AEDES CASP/US IN ITALY
DISCUSSION
B
ased o n o b s e r v e d morphology, characterized by a s p o r a n g i a l s u r f a c e o r n a m e n t e d with simple punctae lacking internal differentiation, and a d e h i s c e n c e slit b o r d e r e d b y punctae , which are not along a longitudinal low ridge, this organism was classified as belonging to the s p e c i e s C. psoropborae.T h r e e varieties are described in this s p e c i e s : var. pso
ropborae. from host occurring in fresh water, var.
halopbilus and var. tasmaniensis, from hosts occurring in brackish water. All the parasitized adults o f Ae. cas- pius, w h o s e aquatic stages are also salt tolerant, w e r e collected b e t w e e n 11 August and 2 8 S e p t e m b e r in an area full o f irrigation canals, in habitats characterized by both fresh and brackish water.
T h e t w o distinctive varieties from hosts occurring in brackish water differ from our s p e c i m e n : the first o n e , C. psoropborae var. halopbilus. on the basis o f its thinner-walled resting sporangia and its smaller size;
the s e c o n d , C. psoropborae var. tasmaniensis, is similar in size, but with relatively thin-walled sporangia and fine, m o r e closely s p a c e d punctae.
b a s e d on these peculiarities, our organism is classified as C. psoropborae var. psoropborae. B e c a u s e o f high variability in sporangial size, wall thickness and fre
q u e n c y o f punctae, this variety was c o n s i d e r e d by C o u c h & B l a n d ( 1 9 8 5 ) as a <· c o m p l e x ».
Specimens o f C. psoropborae var psoropborae, originally described by C o u c h ( 1 9 4 5 ) in a single larva o f Psoro- phora cibata from Georgia (USA), have b e e n collected from many hosts, including Ae. caspias, and habitats all over the world. In Italy, h o w e v e r , the only s p e c i e s o f Coelomomyces previously reported was C. raffaelei, described as a n e w species by Coluzzi & Rioux ( 1 9 6 2 ) , in larvae o f Anopheles claviger. Coelomomyces raf
faelei differs from C. psoropborae varieties o n the basis o f sporangial size ( 1 8 - 2 6 χ 3 6 - 4 9 pm for C. raffaelei) and surface ornamentation.
Therefore is the first report o f C. psoropborae var. pso
ropborae in Italy.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
T he authors gratefully acknowledge Pr. Mario Coluzzi for many helpful suggestions. They also thank Dr. B. Dezfuli-Sayyaf for his support provided in scanning electronmicroscopy and Dr. L. Della Salda in transmission electronmicroscopy.
The authors gratefully acknowledge Dr. Jerry Gold
smith for reviewing the english form. (This work was supported by MURST 60 % grants.)
Parasite, 1997, 4, 383-385
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