Quinton Dos Santos

Overview

I am a parasitologist with research focused on the taxonomy and biodiversity of aquatic parasites. My study focus is primarily on freshwater fish parasites in southern Africa, using integrative approaches where alpha taxonomy and molecular tools are combined to obtain more wholistic results, while also refining and developing alternative approaches. The aim of this research is to produce detailed and accurate morphological and genetic accounts for neglected taxa, alongside more efficient and effect workflows to do so, all contributing to the biodiversity knowledge of aquatic systems. The foundation of my research has been the highly peculiar parasites of the family Diplozoidae (Monogenea). Our studies of this group in Africa have led to the description of two new species, alternative methodologies to more intricately study their morphology, generation of novel genetic data for African species, and two reviews on the species in Africa and the use of molecular tools to study the group, respectively. The refinement of the approaches used have allowed other taxa to be studied in similar ways, generating valuable information for several species of Monogenea, Copepoda, Cestoda, Trematoda and Nematoda. Although most of this research is aimed at native species, we are also interested in the presence and impact of invasive parasites. Teaching: Zoology 2A – General Parasitology Recent publications: Dos Santos, Q.M. & Avenant-Oldewage, A. (2024). Revisiting the type material of two African Diplozoinae (Diplozoidae: Monogenea), with remarks on morphology, systematics and diplozoid specificity. PeerJ 12:e17020. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17020 Dos Santos, Q.M., Rindoria, N.M. & Avenant-Oldewage, A. (2023). Genetic characterisation of four Lamproglena spp. (Copepoda, Lernaeidae) from Africa and the first mitochondrial data. Folia Parasitologica 70:014. https://doi.org/ 10.14411/fp.2023.014 Maduenyane, M.; Dos Santos, Q.M. & Avenant-Oldewage, A. (2023). Gyrodactylus sprostonae Ling, 1962 infects an indigenous cyprinid in southern Africa: An expanded description. Journal of Helminthology 97:e40. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022149X23000202 Nofal, A.P.; Dos Santos, Q.M. & Avenant-Oldewage, A. (2023). An improved method for isolating camallanid (Nematoda) spiculae for scanning electron microscopy. Journal of Helminthology 97:e17. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022149X23000044 Austin, A.; Dos Santos, Q.M. & Avenant-Oldewage, A. (2023). Additional taxonomic data for Spinitectus petterae (Nematoda: Rhabditida) from Clarias gariepinus (Siluriformes: Clariidae) in the Vaal River system: conserved morphology or high intraspecific genetic variability? Folia Parasitologica 70:002. https://doi.org/10.14411/fp.2023.002 Nofal, A.P.; Dos Santos, Q.M. & Avenant-Oldewage, A. (2022). Camallanid nematodes from Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) in the Crocodile River, Gauteng, South Africa: Exploring diversity and divergence in an acid-mine drainage impacted environment. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 19: 196-210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2022.09.007 Dos Santos, Q.M. & Avenant-Oldewage, A. (2022). Smallmouth yellowfish, Labeobarbus aeneus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), as a potential new definitive host of the invasive parasite Atractolytocestus huronensis (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea) from common carp: example of recent spillover in South Africa? Aquatic Invasions 17: 259-279. https://doi.org/10.3391/ai.2022.17.2.08 Maduenyane, M.; Dos Santos, Q.M. & Avenant-Oldewage, A. (2022). First isolation and scanning electron microscopy of haptoral sclerites of Macrogyrodactylus (Monogenea). Journal of Helminthology 96: E17. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022149X22000037 Dos Santos, Q.M.; Gilbert, B.M.; Avenant-Oldewage, A. & Dumbo, J.C. (2021). Morphological and molecular description of Allocreadium apokryfi n. sp. (Digenea: Allocreadiidae) from native Labeobarbus aeneus (Cyprinidae) in the Vaal River, South Africa including notes on its biology, evolutionary history, and an updated key of African Allocreadium. Folia Parasitologica 68: 013. http://doi.org/10.14411/fp.2021.013 Dos Santos, Q.M.; Avenant-Oldewage, A.; Piasecki, W.; Molnár, K.; Sellyei, B & Székely, C. (2021). An alien parasite affects local fauna—Confirmation of Sinergasilus major (Copepoda: Ergasilidae) switching hosts and infecting native Silurus glanis (Actinopterygii: Siluridae) in Hungary. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 15: 127-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.04.011 Dos Santos, Q.M. & Avenant-Oldewage, A. (2020). Review on the molecular study of the Diplozoidae: analyses of currently available genetic data, what it tells us, and where to go from here. Parasites & Vectors 13: 539. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-04417-3 Dos Santos, Q.M.; Dzika, E. & Avenant-Oldewage, A. (2019). Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study morphology and morphometry of the isolated haptoral sclerites of three distinct diplozoid species. PloS ONE 14(2): e0211794. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211794 Dos Santos, Q.M.; Maina, J.N. & Avenant-Oldewage, A. (2019). Gyrodactylus magadiensis n. sp. (Monogenea, Gyrodactylidae) parasitising the gills of Alcolapia grahami (Perciformes, Cichlidae), a fish inhabiting the extreme environment of Lake Magadi, Kenya. Parasite 26: 76. https://doi.org/10.1051/parasite/2019077 External links: Google Scholar Profile ORCID Scopus ResearchGate Web of Science