Amino acid spectra of two nematode species (Nematoda: Dracunculoidea) parasitizing fishes in the Czech Republic

The amino acid (AA) spectra of females of two nematode species are reported: Anguillicola crassus - (Anguillicolidae), from the host Anguilla anguilla and Philometra ovata - (Philometridae), from the host Abramis brama. Seventeen AA, of these 11 essential AA (EAA) and 6 non-essential AA (NEAA) were determined. Differences in quantitative values of AA in the nematode species compared (A. crassus : Ph. ovaba) are statistically significant in 9 EAA and 4 NEAA. In the EAA set of A. crassus the highest values are in methionine, valine and tyrosine, in that of Ph. ovata in arginine, leucine and valine. In the NEAA set of both species, the highest values were indicated by glutamic acid and aspartic acid. Differences between both nematode species were found in proline, alanine, glycine and serine (in respective hierarchic quantitative order). In the species A. crassus the AA spectrum was examined in 3 groups. The first sample (ACE) consisted of females in beginning maturation phase, the second sample (ACL) consisted of fully mature females with embryonated eggs and fully developed sheathed larvae. The third sample (ACT) consisted of both growing phases in nematodes (ACE + ACL). The comparison of the analysis results between ACE and ACL revealed statistically significant differences in the quantitative values in 13 AA.