Nematopsis sp. (Apicomplexa: Porosporidae) infection in Crassostrea madrasensis and its associated histopathology

Abstract

The present study forms the first report of Nematopsis sp. infection in the edible oyster, Crassostrea madrasensis from India. The study was carried out as part of a detailed pathological investigation of C. madrasensis along the southwest coast of India. Sporozoites of Nematopsis sp. were found in samples collected from two locations. Light microscopic observation revealed ellipsoidal oocysts measuring 16.63±2.40 µm in length and 11.11± 2.49 µm in width (n=30) in the connective tissues of gills, mantle, visceral mass and gonads. Prevalence of infection ranged from 11 to 27%. Apparent pathological changes included compression of adjacent digestive diverticulae in visceral connective tissue infections and presence of phagocytosed oocysts in water channels in the case of gill infections. With relevance to the expanding culture of C. madrasensis, monitoring potential pathogens of this species in its natural habitat is important for developing suitable health management packages.

Ultrastructure of phagocytes and oocysts of Nematopsis sp. (Apicomplexa, Porosporidae) infecting Crassostrea rhizophorae in Northeastern Brazil

“…Given the need for detailed morphological data and the lack of molecular data, these unnamed species may correspond to nominal species that have previously been described. Most of these unnamed Nematopsis were described based on LM observations and some of them were based on doubtful host specificity (ABDEL-BAKI et al, 2012;AZEVEDO & CACHOLA, 1992;BRITO et al, 2010;KUA et al, 2013;PINTO & BOEHS 2008;QUEIROGA et al, 2015;SABRY et al, 2007;SOTO et al, 1996;SUJA et al, 2016;TUNTIWARANURUK et al, 2004). Only a few of these species were identified using ultrastructural observations (AZEVEDO & MATOS, 1999;AZEVEDO & PADOVAN, 2004).…”

“…Considering that some undetermined species of Nematopsis occurring in several hosts belonging to different species (ABDEL-BAKI et al 2012;AZEVEDO & CACHOLA, 1992;BOEHS et al, 2010;BRANDÃO et al, 2013;BRITO et al, 2010;CANESTRI-TROTTI et al, 2000;COVA et al, 2015;KUA et al, 2013;PINTO & BOEHS, 2008;QUEIROGA et al, 2015;SABRY & MAGALHÃES, 2005;SUJA et al, 2016;TUNTIWARANURUK et al, 2004TUNTIWARANURUK et al, , 2015, it is acceptable to think that many of the species thus described may correspond to previously described species. On the other hand, several Nematopsis species have been described from the gregarine stage of the schizogonic phase (CHAMBOUVET et al, 2016;CHAKRABORTI & BANDYOPADHYAY, 2010;JIMÉNEZ et al, 2002;PRASADAN & JANARDANAN, 1996, 2001SHANAVAS et al, 1989).…”

Metabolic Contributions of an Alphaproteobacterial Endosymbiont in the Apicomplexan Cardiosporidium cionae

“…Every metazoan likely plays host to at least one apicomplexan (Morrison, 2009), and this is probably an underestimation, as many species can host multiple apicomplexan species. Apicomplexans have been described in a vast array of vertebrates from avians to marine mammals (Jeurissen et al, 1996;Conrad et al, 2005), and also in cnidarians (Kwong et al, 2019), molluscs (Dyson et al, 1993;Suja et al, 2016), arthropods (Alarcón et al, 2017;Criado-Fornelio et al, 2017), and urochordates (Ciancio et al, 2008;Saffo et al, 2010). Their host range is enormous, and their diversity and adaptation to the parasitic lifestyle is unparalleled.…”

Metabolic contributions of an alphaproteobacterial endosymbiont in the apicomplexanCardiosporidium cionae

“…Every metazoan likely plays host to at least one apicomplexan (Morrison 2009), and this is probably an underestimation, as many species can host multiple apicomplexan species. Apicomplexans have been described in a vast array of vertebrates from avians to marine mammals (Jeurissen et al 1996;Conrad et al 2005), and also in cnidarians (Kwong et al 2019), molluscs (Suja et al 2016;Dyson, Grahame, and Evennett 1993), arthropods (Criado-Fornelio et al 2017;Alarcón et al 2017), and urochordates (Ciancio et al 2008;Mary Beth Saffo et al 2010). Their host range is enormous, and their diversity and adaptation to the parasitic lifestyle is unparalleled.…”