Identification of scuticociliate Philasterides dicentrarchi from indo-pacific seahorses Hippocampus kuda

Abstract

The "indo-pacific seahorses", Hippocampus kuda which had been reared in one of the private commercial aquaria for exhibition were sent to the laboratory for diagnosis. Feces and intestinal contents from 5 seahorses were examined microscopically and revealed numerous scuticociliates. We identified the species of scuticociliate by light (wet mount) and scanning electron microscopy, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and sequencing. This paper reports the first identification of scuticociliate Philasterides dicentrarchi from seahorse in Korea.

Genome rearrangements, male pregnancy and immunological tolerance – the curious case of the syngnathid immune system

“…Scuticociliates are a group of parasitic unicellular marine organisms and renowned causative agents of scuticociliatosis, another common disease among aquaria fish species such as seadragons, seahorses and pipefishes (Marcer et al, 2005;Garner et al, 2008;Rossteuscher et al, 2008;Sang et al, 2011;Bonar et al, 2013;Di Cicco et al, 2013;Ofelio et al, 2014;Armwood et al, 2021). Often scuticociliatosis leads to severe skin lesions and necrosis, while internal organs, blood vessels and gills are also regularly affected (Cheung et al, 1980;Woo and Buchmann, 2012;Bonar et al, 2013;Ofelio et al, 2014).…”

Isolation, identification, and biological control in vitro of tail rot pathogen strain from Hippocampus kuda

“…Seahorses often acquire diseases during culturing, leading to high mortality rates in some farms [12]. The various pathogens of seahorse diseases include bacteria (e.g., Vibrio spp., Mycobacterium hippocampi) [5,[13][14][15], fungi [16], parasites (e.g., Glugea heraldi, Philasterides dicentrarchi, Microsporidia sp., Amyloodinium ocellatum) [15][16][17][18], and viruses [19]. To date, no effective measures exist to control most diseases of seahorses, except for bacterioses, which are primarily treated with antibiotics [5].…”

Molecular and functional insights into a novel teleost malectin from big-belly seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis

“…Various seahorse diseases were identified by observations in aquaculture and laboratory studies [20]. Mortality caused by Philasterides dicentrarchi was identified in aquarium seahorses that was used in public exhibition [21]. Fungal infection in H. abdominalis and mycobacterial infection in Hippocampus reidi have been identified [22].…”