Publications by authors named "Mar Villar-Torres"
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on the diplectanid monogenean, a common gill parasite of the gilthead seabream found in the Mediterranean Sea, aiming to understand its population structure and genetic diversity through molecular analysis.
- Researchers analyzed samples from wild and cage-reared gilthead seabream across fifteen locations in Tunisia, Italy, and Spain, revealing that there is likely just one species of the parasite widespread throughout the region, with evidence of recent population expansion.
- The study shows high haplotype diversity and significant genetic variation among the parasite populations, with notable differences between those in the Adriatic Sea and other areas, suggesting considerable gene flow due to host movement.
The microcotylid is a pathogenic monogenean infecting , a candidate for species diversification in the Mediterranean aquaculture. Life-history stages of commonly co-occur in field infections, but to date, morphological data have only been provided for oncomiracidia and adults although identifying life-history stages can be useful in infection management. A total of 114 specimens of were analysed to characterize the developmental events and to assess morphological and morphometric variations before and after maturity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn vivo fluorescent cercariae reveal the entry portals of Cardiocephaloides longicollis (Rudolphi, 1819) Dubois, 1982 (Strigeidae) into the gilthead seabream Sparus aurata L.
Parasit Vectors
March 2019
Background: Despite their complex life-cycles involving various types of hosts and free-living stages, digenean trematodes are becoming recurrent model systems. The infection and penetration strategy of the larval stages, i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe taxonomy of the genus Diplectanum has been exclusively based on morphological features, with 28 nominal species parasitic on perciform fishes recognised. We used molecular data, to our knowledge for the first time, to evaluate the taxonomic framework of Diplectanum, infer the relationships amongst species attributed to this genus, re-assess the degree of host specificity and explore the population genetic structure of Diplectanum spp. parasitising Mediterranean sciaenids, which are potential target fish species for aquaculture diversification in the region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Evidence concerning the environmental influence on monogenean transmission and infection processes is widely accepted, although only the effects of a limited number of abiotic factors on particular monogenean species have been explored. The current context of climate change calls for further research both on this subject, and also that concerning monogenean hosts, especially in aquaculture.
Methods: In this study, four experiments were used to assess the response of the infective stages of Sparicotyle chrysophrii, a pathogenic monogenean from gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) cultures in the Mediterranean, to variations of temperature (from 10 °C to 30 °C), pH (7.