Experimentally induced infections of European eel Anguilla angutila with Anguillicola crassus (Nematoda, Dracunculoidea) and subsequent migration of larvae

Abstract

Migration pattern of third-stage Anguillicola crassus larvae, and pathogenesis of the lesions induced by third-stage larvae, was investigated in European eel Anguilla anguilla L. Young elvers ( l g) were fed infected Paracyclops fimbriatus (Copepoda). Eel samples were collected and examined histologically at varying intervals during the 6 mo post-infection period. Third-stage larvae (L-111) migrated directly through the intestinal wall and body cavity to the swimbladder within 17 h postinfection. L-IV larvae were detected 3 mo post-infection, and immature adults were detected within 4 mo post-infection. The parasites occasionally showed aberrant migration paths. Pathological effects caused by the parasite were less severe after experimentally induced infections than those detected in some natural infections.