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Wang Y, Na Y, Huang YQ, Zhou JF, Li SH, Liu QL, Li LT, Chen YG, Tian W, Chi H, Li XC, Fang WH. Paospora carinifang n. gen., n. sp. (Microsporidia: Spragueidae), a parasite of the ridgetail white prawn, Palaemon carinicauda. J Invertebr Pathol 2024; 206:108180. [PMID: 39154989 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2024.108180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2024] [Revised: 08/12/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024]
Abstract
A new microsporidian disease of the pond-reared ridgetail white prawn, Palaemon carinicauda, was found in China. Light microscopy, pathology, and scanning electron microscopy showed that the parasite infected the host's skeletal muscle tissue and formed spherical sporophorous vesicles (SPOVs). Electron microscopy revealed that its merogonic life stages developed in direct contact with the host cytoplasm. The sporogonic life stages underwent octosporoblastic sporogony with the formation of eight uninucleate spores in each SPOV. Fresh SPOVs were 5.4 ± 0.55 µm in diameter. The octospores were oval and measured 2.3 × 1.5 μm (fresh) and 1.96 × 1.17 μm (fixed). The isofilar polar filament was coiled with 9-10 turns and arranged in two rows. Phylogenetic analysis based on the SSU rRNA gene suggests that this microsporidium has close affinities with members of the genera Potaspora and Apotaspora, but represents an independent generic taxon. We therefore propose the establishment of a new genus and species (Paospora carinifang n. gen., n. sp.) within the family Spragueidae. We also propose a taxonomic revision to transfer Potaspora macrobrachium to this new genus and reclassify it as Paospora macrobrachium comb. nov.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Wang
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, China Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China
| | - Ying Na
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, China Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China
| | - Yan-Qing Huang
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, China Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China
| | - Jun-Fang Zhou
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, China Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China
| | - Shou-Hu Li
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, China Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China
| | - Quan-Lin Liu
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, China Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China
| | - Le-Tian Li
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, China Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China
| | - Yuan-Ge Chen
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, China Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China
| | - Wei Tian
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, China Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China
| | - Hai Chi
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, China Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China
| | - Xin-Cang Li
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, China Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China.
| | - Wen-Hong Fang
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, China Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China.
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Scott ME. Helminth-host-environment interactions: Looking down from the tip of the iceberg. J Helminthol 2023; 97:e59. [PMID: 37486085 DOI: 10.1017/s0022149x23000433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
In 1978, the theory behind helminth parasites having the potential to regulate the abundance of their host populations was formalized based on the understanding that those helminth macroparasites that reduce survival or fecundity of the infected host population would be among the forces limiting unregulated host population growth. Now, 45 years later, a phenomenal breadth of factors that directly or indirectly affect the host-helminth interaction has emerged. Based largely on publications from the past 5 years, this review explores the host-helminth interaction from three lenses: the perspective of the helminth, the host, and the environment. What biotic and abiotic as well as social and intrinsic host factors affect helminths? What are the negative, and positive, implications for host populations and communities? What are the larger-scale implications of the host-helminth dynamic on the environment, and what evidence do we have that human-induced environmental change will modify this dynamic? The overwhelming message is that context is everything. Our understanding of second-, third-, and fourth-level interactions is extremely limited, and we are far from drawing generalizations about the myriad of microbe-helminth-host interactions.Yet the intricate, co-evolved balance and complexity of these interactions may provide a level of resilience in the face of global environmental change. Hopefully, this albeit limited compilation of recent research will spark new interdisciplinary studies, and application of the One Health approach to all helminth systems will generate new and testable conceptual frameworks that encompass our understanding of the host-helminth-environment triad.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Scott
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University (Macdonald Campus), 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne de Bellevue, QuebecH9X 3V9, Canada
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Weng M, Zhang X, Xin Z, Xue S, Zhang Q, Li A, Zhang J. Intraspecific genetic diversity of the fish-infecting microsporidian parasite Pseudokabatana alburnus (Microsporidia). Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1129136. [PMID: 36970667 PMCID: PMC10034183 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1129136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Pseudokabatana alburnus is a xenoma-forming fish microsporidium, firstly described from the liver of the Culter alburnus from Poyang Lake in China. In the present study, P. alburnus was firstly reported from the ovary of 6 other East Asian minnows, including Squaliobarbus curriculus, Hemiculter leucisculus, Cultrichthys erythropterus, Pseudolaubuca engraulis, Toxabramis swinhonis, and Elopichthys bambusa. Genetic analysis revealed high sequence diversity in the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (Rpb1) loci of P. alburnus isolated from different hosts and locations. The variation of Rpb1 mainly occurred in the 1,477–1737 bp regions. The presence of a wide variety of Rpb1 haplotypes within a single fish host, together with evidence of genetic recombination suggested that P. alburnus may have the intergenomic variation and sexual reproduction might be present in other hosts (possibly freshwater shrimp). Phylogenetic analysis and population genetic analysis showed that there was no geographical population divergence for P. alburnus. Homogeneity and high variability of ITS sequences indicates that ITS may be a suitable molecular marker to distinguish different P. alburnus isolates. Our data confirm the broad geographical distribution and host range of P. alburnus in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Additionally, we emendated the genus Pseudokabatana to exclude the infection site, liver as one of the taxonomic criteria, and proposed that fish ovary was be the general infection site of P. alburnus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiqi Weng
- Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology and Microbial Resources, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xintong Zhang
- Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology and Microbial Resources, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Zhaozhe Xin
- Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology and Microbial Resources, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Sijia Xue
- Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology and Microbial Resources, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qianqian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Aihua Li
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Jinyong Zhang
- Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology and Microbial Resources, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, China
- *Correspondence: Jinyong Zhang,
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Microsporidia: a new taxonomic, evolutionary, and ecological synthesis. Trends Parasitol 2022; 38:642-659. [PMID: 35667993 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2022.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Microsporidian diversity is vast. There is a renewed drive to understand how microsporidian pathological, genomic, and ecological traits relate to their phylogeny. We comprehensively sample and phylogenetically analyse 125 microsporidian genera for which sequence data are available. Comparing these results with existing phylogenomic analyses, we suggest an updated taxonomic framework to replace the inconsistent clade numbering system, using informal taxonomic names: Glugeida (previously clades 5/3), Nosematida (4a), Enterocytozoonida (4b), Amblyosporida (3/5), Neopereziida (1), and Ovavesiculida (2). Cellular, parasitological, and ecological traits for 281 well-defined species are compared with identify clade-specific patterns across long-branch Microsporidia. We suggest that future taxonomic circumscriptions of Microsporidia should involve additional markers (SSU/ITS/LSU), and that a comprehensive suite of phenotypic and ecological traits help to predict broad microsporidian functional and lineage diversity.
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Calabon MS, Hyde KD, Jones EBG, Luo ZL, Dong W, Hurdeal VG, Gentekaki E, Rossi W, Leonardi M, Thiyagaraja V, Lestari AS, Shen HW, Bao DF, Boonyuen N, Zeng M. Freshwater fungal numbers. FUNGAL DIVERS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13225-022-00503-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Stratton CE, Moler P, Allain TW, Reisinger LS, Behringer DC, Bojko J. The plot thickens: Ovipleistophora diplostomuri infects two additional species of Florida crayfish. J Invertebr Pathol 2022; 191:107766. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2022.107766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Weng M, Xie D, Zhang Q, Li A, Zhang J. First report of Ovipleistophora ovariae and O. diplostomuri in China provides new insights into the intraspecific genetic variation and extends their distribution. Parasitology 2022; 149:314-324. [PMID: 35264262 PMCID: PMC11010532 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182021001852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Microsporidia of the genus Ovipleistophora are generally parasites of fishes and aquatic crustaceans. In the current study, Ovipleistophora diplostomuri and O. ovariae were firstly reported from Culter alburnus and Xenocypris argentea and Parabramis pekinensis, respectively. Both of them exclusively infected fish ovary and were morphologically, ultrastructurally and genetically characterized. Sporogony occurred in direct contact with the host cell cytoplasm and sporophorous vesicles were not observed for the new isolates of these two Ovipleistophora species. Spores of O. ovariae were for the first time observed to be dimorphic. Genetic analysis indicated that the genetic variation in the ITS and LSU sequences was distinct among between-host O. diplostomuri isolates. High sequence variation in ITS sequence suggests that it can be a reliable molecular marker to explore the population genetics of O. diplostomuri. This is the first report of these two Ovipleistophora species in China which extends their host and geographical range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiqi Weng
- The Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, 266237Qingdao, China
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan430072, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing10049, China
| | - Derong Xie
- The Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, 266237Qingdao, China
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan430072, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing10049, China
| | - Qianqian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan430072, China
| | - Aihua Li
- Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Diseases Control, Ministry of Agriculture and State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan430072, China
| | - Jinyong Zhang
- The Laboratory of Aquatic Parasitology, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Qingdao Agricultural University, 266237Qingdao, China
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8
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Abstract
Around 57.1% of microsporidia occupy aquatic environments, excluding a further 25.7% that utilise both terrestrial and aquatic systems. The aquatic microsporidia therefore compose the most diverse elements of the Microsporidia phylum, boasting unique structural features, variable transmission pathways, and significant ecological influence. From deep oceans to tropical rivers, these parasites are present in most aquatic environments and have been shown to infect hosts from across the Protozoa and Animalia. The consequences of infection range from mortality to intricate behavioural change, and their presence in aquatic communities often alters the overall functioning of the ecosystem.In this chapter, we explore aquatic microsporidian diversity from the perspective of aquatic animal health. Examples of microsporidian parasitism of importance to an aquacultural ('One Health') context and ecosystem context are focussed upon. These include infection of commercially important penaeid shrimp by Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei and interesting hyperparasitic microsporidians of wild host groups.Out of ~1500 suggested microsporidian species, 202 have been adequately taxonomically described using a combination of ultrastructural and genetic techniques from aquatic and semi-aquatic hosts. These species are our primary focus, and we suggest that the remaining diversity have additional genetic or morphological data collected to formalise their underlying systematics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Bojko
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK.
- National Horizons Centre, Teesside University, Darlington, UK.
| | - Grant D Stentiford
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Weymouth, Dorset, UK
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Schuster CJ, Sanders JL, Couch C, Kent ML. Recent Advances with Fish Microsporidia. EXPERIENTIA SUPPLEMENTUM (2012) 2022; 114:285-317. [PMID: 35544007 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-93306-7_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
There have been several significant new findings regarding Microsporidia of fishes over the last decade. Here we provide an update on new taxa, new hosts and new diseases in captive and wild fishes since 2013. The importance of microsporidiosis continues to increase with the rapid growth of finfish aquaculture and the dramatic increase in the use of zebrafish as a model in biomedical research. In addition to reviewing new taxa and microsporidian diseases, we include discussions on advances with diagnostic methods, impacts of microsporidia on fish beyond morbidity and mortality, novel findings with transmission and invertebrate hosts, and a summary of the phylogenetics of fish microsporidia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corbin J Schuster
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Justin L Sanders
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Claire Couch
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Michael L Kent
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
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Sokolova YY, Overstreet RM, Heard RW, Isakova NP. Two new species of Unikaryon (Microsporidia) hyperparasitic in microphallid metacercariae (Digenea) from Florida intertidal crabs. J Invertebr Pathol 2021; 182:107582. [PMID: 33775675 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2021.107582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The genus Unikaryon (Microsporidia) holds exclusively hyperparasites of Platyhelminthes. Four species of Unikaryon are presently known from trematodes infecting mollusks and fish, and one from a cestode infecting a fish. Here we report two species of Unikaryon from microphallid trematode metacercariae parasitizing the brachyuran crabs, Panopeus herbstii and Pachygrapsus transversus, collected from intertidal habitats in Florida. The first microsporidium, which we assign here to a new species, Unikaryon panopei sp. n., was isolated from Microphallus sp. encysted in Panopeus herbstii from Tampa Bay. The specific designation for the second Unikaryon sp. (Unikaryon sp. 2), which occurred in metacercaria of Diacetabulum sp. found in P. transversus from the Florida Keys, is pending due to the lack of SSrDNA sequence data. Light and electron microscopy demonstrates that both species display characteristics of the genus Unikaryon including the arrangement of spores in sets of two, large posterior vacuole, and eccentric position of the polar filament. Spores of Unikaryon panopei sp. n., unlike those of Unikaryon sp. 2, assemble in large membrane-bound masses containing hundreds of organisms, and display a larger number of polar filament coils - 7-8, compared to 4-5 in Unikaryon sp. 2 The SSUrDNA-inferred phylogenetic analysis places Unikaryon panopei in one clade with Unikaryon legeri, the only other molecularly characterized member of the genus, with 94% of SSUrDNA similarity. These findings increase the number of species parasitizing trematodes and broaden the host range of Unikaryon spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya Y Sokolova
- Insitute of Cytology RAS, St. Petersburg, Russia; School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
| | - Robin M Overstreet
- University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast Res. Laboratory, Ocean Springs, MS, USA
| | - Richard W Heard
- University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast Res. Laboratory, Ocean Springs, MS, USA
| | - Nadezhda P Isakova
- The Herzen State Pedagogical University, Dept. Zoology, St. Petersburg, Russia
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Tetra disseminated microsporidiosis: a novel disease in ornamental fish caused by Fusasporis stethaprioni n. gen. n. sp. Parasitol Res 2021; 120:497-514. [PMID: 33415390 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06988-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
A novel microsporidial disease was documented in two ornamental fish species, black tetra Gymnocorymbus ternetzi Boulenger 1895 and cardinal tetra Paracheirodon axelrodi Schultz 1956. The non-xenoma-forming microsporidium occurred diffusely in most internal organs and the gill, thus referring to the condition as tetra disseminated microsporidiosis (TDM). The occurrence of TDM in black tetra was associated with chronic mortality in a domestic farmed population, while the case in cardinal tetra occurred in moribund fish while in quarantine at a public aquarium. Histology showed that coelomic visceral organs were frequently necrotic and severely disrupted by extensive infiltrates of macrophages. Infected macrophages were presumed responsible for the dissemination of spores throughout the body. Ultrastructural characteristics of the parasite developmental cycle included uninucleate meronts directly in the host cell cytoplasm. Sporonts were bi-nucleated as a result of karyokinesis and a parasite-produced sporophorous vesicle (SPV) became apparent at this stage. Cytokinesis resulted in two spores forming within each SPV. Spores were uniform in size, measuring about 3.9 ± 0.33 long by 2.0 ± 0.2 μm wide. Ultrastructure demonstrated two spore types, one with 9-12 polar filament coils and a double-layered exospore and a second type with 4-7 polar filament coils and a homogenously electron-dense exospore, with differences perhaps related to parasite transmission mechanisms. The 16S rDNA sequences showed closest identity to the genus Glugea (≈ 92%), though the developmental cycle, specifically being a non-xenoma-forming species and having two spores forming within a SPV, did not fit within the genus. Based on combined phylogenetic and ultrastructural characteristics, a new genus (Fusasporis) is proposed, with F. stethaprioni n. gen. n. sp. as the type species.
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Ovipleistophora diplostomuri, a parasite of fish and their trematodes, also infects the crayfish Procambarus bivittatus. J Invertebr Pathol 2020; 169:107306. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2019.107306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Evidence for trophic transfer ofInodosporus octosporaandOvipleistophora arlon. sp. (Microsporidia) between crustacean and fish hosts. Parasitology 2017; 145:1105-1117. [DOI: 10.1017/s0031182017002256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
AbstractWithin aquatic habitats, the hyper-abundant Order Crustacea appear to be the predominant host group for members of the Phylum Microsporidia. The musculature, a common site of infection, provides access to biochemical (carbohydrate-rich) and physiological (mitochondria-rich) conditions conducive to prolific parasite replication and maturation. The significant proportion of body plan devoted to skeletal musculature in Crustacea provides the location for a highly efficient intracellular parasite factory. In this study, we utilize histological, ultrastructural and phylogenetic evidence to describe a previously known (Inodosporus octospora) and novel (Ovipleistophora arlon. sp.) microsporidian parasites infecting the musculature of the common prawn (Palaemon serratus) from the same site, at the same time of year. Despite similar clinical signs of infection, both parasites are otherwise distinct in terms of pathogenesis, morphology and phylogeny. Based upon partial subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rDNA) sequence, we show that thatI. octosporamay be identical to aKabatanasp. previously described infecting two-spot goby (Gobiusculus flavescens) in Europe, or at least thatInodosporusandKabatanagenera are synonyms. In addition, SSU rDNA sequence forO. arloplaces it within a distinct clade containingOvipleistophora mirandellaeandOvipleistophora ovariae, both infecting the oocytes of freshwater fish in Europe. Taken together, our data provide strong evidence for trophic-transfer between crustacean and fish hosts for two different microsporidians within clade 5 of the phylum. Furthermore, it demonstrates that morphologically and phylogenetically distinct microsporidians can infect the same tissues of the same host species to impart clinical signs which mimic infection with the other.
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