Work

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

Year: 2009

Type: article

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 microm diam.). Histological analysis showed the occurrence of typical signet-ring trophozoites and schizonts (3 to 6 microm 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.

Source: Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

DOI: 10.3354/dao02136

Authors: RC Sabry, RD Rosa, ARM Magalhães, MA Barracco, TCV Gesteira, PM da Silva

Institutions: Universidade Federal do Ceará, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Language: English

Topic: Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies

Subfield: Aquatic Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Life below water

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico