First report of Perkinsus sp. infecting mangrove oysters Crassostrea rhizophorae from the Brazilian coast

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

Aimê Rachel Magenta Magalhães¹  Patricia Mirella da Silva¹  Rachel Costa Sabry¹  Margherita Anna Barracco¹  Tereza Cristina Vasconcelos Gesteira¹  Rafael Diego Rosa¹ 

关键词: Crassostrea rhizophorae;    Mangrove oyster;    Perkinsus sp.;    Protozoan parasite;    PCR-RFLP;    rRNA;    RFTM;    Sporulation;   

DOI  :  10.3354/dao02136

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: Protozoan parasites of the genus Perkinsus are considered important pathogens responsible for mass mortalities in several mollusk species worldwide. In the present study we describe for the first time a parasite of the genus Perkinsus infecting the mangrove oyster Crassostrea rhizophorae from the Brazilian coast. Prevalence of this parasite was low in the Pacoti River estuary (Ceará, northeast Brazil) and absent in oysters from southern Brazil. Oyster gill and rectum tissues incubated in Ray’s fluid thioglycollate medium (RFTM) revealed the presence of spherical hypnospores (5 to 55 µm diam.). Histological analysis showed the occurrence of typical signet-ring trophozoites and schizonts (3 to 6 µm diam.) infecting connective tissues of several organs and digestive epithelia. PCR assays specific to the genus Perkinsus, followed by cloning and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene complex, confirmed a close phylogenetic relationship between Brazilian Perkinsus sp. and P. beihaiensis infecting Chinese oysters.

【 授权许可】

Unknown