Parasitological investigation of Artemia parthenogenetica: A Cestode case from Ayvalık Saltwork

Abstract

One of the primary food supplies for the aquaculture sector and wild animal populations, such as flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus), is Artemia (Artemia parthenogenetica). Along with the rise in cases and reports from different salterns in recent years, the prevalence of Artemia cestode parasitism has also grown. Flamingolepis liguloides eggs are consumed by Artemia and transform into cysticercoids which mature into adult worms in the final host, flamingos. We described the first investigation of cestode parasitism in the natural populations of Artemia parthenogenetica from the Ayvalık saltwork (Balıkesir, Türkiye) in this study. A total of 965 A. parthenogenetica were examined and 320 of them had F. liguloides infection. The overall prevalence was estimated to be 33.2%. Most of the parasites were found in the abdomen and intestinal tract of A. parthenogenetica. Parasitism intensity ranged from 1 to 4 per individual, with a maximum of 4 cysticercoids detected in a single Artemia sample. To understand the influence of parasitism on Artemia populations and the transmission of species, it is important to establish Artemia parasitism in the saltwork. This initial report from the Ayvalık saltwork provides information on the infestation of F. liguloides in Artemia; therefore, the interactions between the saltworks’ species should be investigated in depth.