Sphaerospora epinepheli N. Sp. (Myxosporea: Sphaerosporidae) Observed in Grouper (Epinephelus malabaricus)

Abstract

Sphaerospora epinepheli n. sp. is described from grouper, Epinephelus malabaricus, in cage-cultured and wild fish collected from both coastal lines of southern Thailand. Subspherical to spherical spores and mono- or disporous pseudoplasmodia were observed in the lumen of kidney tubules. Pseudoplasmodia were round to elongate, size range 15.6-22.9 microns (length) x 8.4-21.6 microns (width). Spores were 7.8-10.0 microns (length) x 12.3-14.5 microns (thickness), and 7.0-9.5 microns (width) with two spherical polar capsules of equal size measuring 2.9-4.4 microns in diameter and containing polar filaments with six or seven windings. Two uninucleate sporoplasms showed iodine vacuoles. Blood stages, similar to C-blood protozoans observed from freshwater fish in Europe, were found from peripheral blood smears of grouper. Ultrastructural studies of blood stages showed a similar structure to unidentified mobile protozoans from the blood of carp. Electron dense bodies were observed in the cytoplasm of the primary cell blood stages. Infected proximal-tubular epithelial cells showed highly vacuolated cytoplasm and pycnotic nuclei.

Myxobolus supamattayai n. sp. (Myxosporea: Myxobolidae) from Thailand parasitizing the scale pellicle of wild mullet (Valamugil seheli)

“…The presented mature spores and polar capsule were plugged with a stopper, which was covered by a cap-like structure at its apical end. These characters were similar to those recorded for the genus Myxobolus (Ali et al 2007) and also from other myxosporean genera such as Sphaerospora (Supamattaya et al 1991) and Zschokkella (Lom and Dyková 1996). The sporoplasm cell of genus Myxobolus is commonly characterized by a single binucleated sporoplasm (Pulsford and Matthews 1982;Bahri and Marques 1996).…”

Myxozoan pathogens in cultured Malaysian fishes. I. Myxozoan infections of the sutchi catfish Pangasius hypophthalmus in freshwater cage cultures

“…Data on myxosporeans infecting fishes of the Indian fauna region (see Gussev 1969) are available mostly on several members of the genera Myxobolus and Henneguya, genera that have been described and recorded by Chakravarty (1939), Tripathi (1952), Lalitha-Kumari (1965, Sarkar (1985) and Sarkar et al (1985). In addition to Shariff's (1982) work, myxozoan infections from Southeast Asian countries have been reported by Supamattaya et al (2000), who described Sphaerospora epinepheli from the grouper Epinephelus malabaricus cultured in marine cages. Another Sphaerospora species, S. ojiroveci, was described by Lom & Dyková (1997) from the pet fish Pangasius sutchi originating from Thailand, and H. longitudinalis, a type species of the new genus Hennegoides, was described by Lom et al (1991) from Osphronemus gourami in Thailand.…”

Transmission Biology of the Myxozoa

“…Myxobolus acanthogobii infects the brain and causes the myxosporean scoliosis in yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata), while infected Japanese mackerel (Scomber japonicus) exhibits the lordosis (dorso-ventral deformity) and infected goby (Acanthogobius flavimanus) is subclinical (Yokoyama et al, 2005b). Sphaerospora epinepheli infects the kidney of Epinephelus malabaricus, which shows disorientation of the body and hemorrhages (Supamattaya et al, 1991).…”

“…1C, D). This parasite does not cause a health Yokoyama et al (2005b) Sphaerospora epinepheli Disorientation, hemorrhage Epinephelus malabaricus Supamattaya et al (1991) Sphaerospora fugu (= Leptotheca fugu)…”