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. 2024 Jan 8;33(1):e015323.
doi: 10.1590/S1984-29612024005. eCollection 2024.

New insights into a poorly known parasite, Dero lutzi (Oligochaeta: Naididae), associated with tree frogs of the genus Scinax: morphological evaluation and genotypic data

Isabela Caroline Oliveira da Silva  1   2 , Priscilla Soares  2   3 , Lennon Malta  2 , Fernando Paiva  2 , Vanda Lúcia Ferreira  3 , Carina Elisei de Oliveira  1 , Luiz Eduardo Roland Tavares  2
Affiliations

New insights into a poorly known parasite, Dero lutzi (Oligochaeta: Naididae), associated with tree frogs of the genus Scinax: morphological evaluation and genotypic data

Isabela Caroline Oliveira da Silva et al. Rev Bras Parasitol Vet. .

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

The oligochaete Dero lutzi follows a life strategy that alternates between free-living periods in aquatic environments and endoparasitic phases. Most occurrences of D. lutzi in anurans are reported in species with arboreal habits, with studies limited to the recording of the oligochaete's presence in the host. Our study recovered specimens of D. lutzi from the tree frogs Scinax fuscovarius and Scinax. nasicus. We performed a morphological assessment of the parasite using light microscopy, for the first time, scanning electron microscopy. Molecular characterization of D. lutzi was carried out using the mitochondrial gene 16S rRNA and the nuclear gene 28S rRNA. Additionally, a phylogenetic tree was constructed to assess the species´position in relation to other group members. In our results, we confirmed the phenotypic morphological characteristics of the endoparasitic phase of D. lutzi. We also presented its phylogenetic position with other oligochaetes in the group, demonstrating the proximity between the endoparasite D. lutzi and the free-living oligochaete D. superterrenus.

O oligoqueta Dero lutzi possui uma estratégia de vida que alterna entre períodos de vida livre em ambientes aquáticos e fases endoparasitárias. A maioria das ocorrências de D. lutzi em anfíbios anuros é relatada em espécies com hábitos arborícolas, com estudos que se restringem a registros da presença do oligoqueta no hospedeiro. Este estudo recuperou espécimes de D. lutzi das pererecas Scinax fuscovarius e Scinax nasicus. Foi realizada uma avaliação morfológica do parasito por microscopia de luz e, pela primeira vez, por microscopia eletrônica de varredura. A caracterização molecular de D. lutzi foi realizada com o gene mitocondrial 16S rRNA e o gene nuclear 28S rRNA. Além disso, uma árvore filogenética foi construída para avaliar a posição da espécie em relação a outros membros do grupo. Os resultados deste estudo confirmaram as características morfológicas fenotípicas da fase endoparasitária de D. lutzi. Também foi apresentada sua posição filogenética com outros oligoquetas do grupo, o que permitiu demonstrar a proximidade entre o endoparasito D. lutzi e o oligoqueta de vida livre D. superterrenus.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Light microscopy images of Dero lutzi in its endoparasitic stage. a Ventro-lateral view of the body of the endoparasite. b View of the posterior region. c View of the anterior region. All photos taken in Phase Interferential Contrast. Scale bar = 300 µm.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Scanning electron microscopy images of Dero lutzi in its endoparasitic stage. a Side view of the anterior portion (scale bar = 100 µm). b Posterior lateral view of the body (scale bar = 250 µm). c Detail of the pairs of setae distributed by the body segments (scale bar = 30 µm). d Oral opening and anterior region in apical view (scale bar = 25 µm). e Detail of the posterior region of the body (scale bar = 200 µm).
Figure 3
Figure 3. Phylogenetic tree of the regions 16S rRNA and 28S rRNA concatenated species of the family Naididae, generated with inference analysis Bayesiana.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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