Marteilia refringens is a major pathogen of the European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis Linnaeus. Since its description, the life-cycle of this protozoan parasite has eluded discovery. Attempts to infect oysters experimentally have been unsuccessful and led to the hypothesis of a complex life-cycle involving several hosts. Knowledge of this life-cycle is of central importance in order to manage oyster disease. However, the exploration of M. refringens life-cycle has been previously limited by the detection tools available and the tremendous number of species to be screened in enzootic areas. In this study, these two restrictions were circumvented by the use of both molecular detection tools and a mesocosm with low biodiversity. Screening of the entire fauna of the pond for M. refringens DNA was systematically undertaken using PCR. Here, we show that the copepod Paracartia (Acartia) grani is a host of M. refringens. Not only was DNA of M. refringens consistently detected in P. grani but also the presence of the parasite in the ovarian tissues was demonstrated using in situ hybridization. Finally, successful experimental transmissions provided evidence that P. grani can be infected from infected flat oysters.
Marteilia refringens is one of the most significant pathogens of bivalve molluscs. Previous sequencing of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene of M. refringens isolates derived from the infected mussels (Mytilus edulis and Mytilus galloprovinciallis) and the oyster (Ostrea edulis) in Europe did not reveal genetic polymorphisms despite indications from epizootiological data that distinct types may exist. We investigated the existence of polymorphisms in the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal RNA genes. The sequences of this region proved to be clearly dimorphic among Marteilia from five sampling sites. The distribution of the two genetic types, named "O" and "M", appeared to be linked to the host species, oysters and mussels, respectively. We therefore support the recognition of two species of Marteilia in Europe and propose that the "O" type corresponds to M. refringens and the "M" type to M. maurini.
Examination of the oyster Ostreola equestris as a potential reservoir host for a species of Bonamia discovered in Crassostrea ariakensis in North Carolina (NC), USA, revealed a second novel Bonamia sp. Histopathology, electron microscopy, and molecular phylogenetic analysis support the designation of a new parasite species, Bonamia perspora n. sp., which is the first Bonamia species shown to produce a typical haplosporidian spore with an orifice and hinged operculum. Spores were confirmed to be from B. perspora by fluorescent in situ hybridization. Bonamia perspora was found at Morehead City and Wilmington, NC, with an overall prevalence of 1.4% (31/2,144). Uninucleate, plasmodial, and sporogonic stages occurred almost exclusively in connective tissues; uninucleate stages (2-6 microm) were rarely observed in hemocytes. Spores were 4.3-6.4 microm in length. Ultrastructurally, uninucleate, diplokaryotic, and plasmodial stages resembled those of other spore-forming haplosporidians, but few haplosporosomes were present, and plasmodia were small. Spore ornamentation consisted of spore wall-derived, thin, flat ribbons that emerged haphazardly around the spore, and which terminated in what appeared to be four-pronged caps. Number of ribbons per spore ranged from 15 to 30, and their length ranged from 1.0 to 3.4 microm. Parsimony analysis identified B. perspora as a sister species to Bonamia ostreae.
The protistan parasite Perkinsus marinus is a severe pathogen of the oyster Crassostrea virginica along the east coast of the United States. Very few data have been collected, however, on the abundance of the parasite in environmental waters, limiting our understanding of P. marinus transmission dynamics. Real-time PCR assays with SybrGreen I as a label for detection were developed in this study for quantification of P. marinus in environmental waters with P. marinus species-specific primers and of Perkinsus spp. with Perkinsus genusspecific primers. Detection of DNA concentrations as low as the equivalent of 3.3 ؋ 10 ؊2 cell per 10-l reaction mixture was obtained by targeting the multicopy internal transcribed spacer region of the genome. To obtain reliable target quantification from environmental water samples, removal of PCR inhibitors and efficient DNA recovery were two major concerns. A DNA extraction kit designed for tissues and another designed for stool samples were tested on environmental and artificial seawater (ASW) samples spiked with P. marinus cultured cells. The stool kit was significantly more efficient than the tissue kit at removing inhibitors from environmental water samples. With the stool kit, no significant difference in the quantified target concentrations was observed between the environmental and ASW samples. However, with the spiked ASW samples, the tissue kit demonstrated more efficient DNA recovery. Finally, by performing three elutions of DNA from the spin columns, which were combined prior to target quantification, variability of DNA recovery from different samples was minimized and more reliable real-time PCR quantification was accomplished.Perkinsus species are parasites of marine molluscs that can have a severe pathogenic effect on their hosts and cause significant economic losses. One of the most detrimental species in this group is Perkinsus marinus (27), a parasite of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin). Since the 1950s, P. marinus has been responsible for severe mortalities among C. virginica populations along the mid-Atlantic region of the United States (1, 7).P. marinus is waterborne and directly transmitted from oyster to oyster (26). Experimentally, transmission of P. marinus is dose dependent and all three known parasite life stages, trophozoite, prezoosporangia, and zoospore, have been shown to induce infection in oysters (1,26,31,41). However, studies of transmission dynamics in the environment have been hindered by the inability to detect free-living stages of the parasite in water. Traditionally, detection of P. marinus in oysters has involved histology or culture of oyster tissues in fluid thioglycolate medium (FTM) (33, 34), and the latter is still the most commonly used diagnostic test to determine infection prevalence and intensity in oysters. The major drawbacks of the FTM assay are its lack of species specificity and its inability to detect low-intensity infections corresponding to fewer than 1,000 P. marinus cells per g of wet oyster tissue (9)....
Since its first description, the paramyxean parasite Marteilia refringens has been recognized as a significant pathogen of bivalve mollusks. The existence of a complex life cycle was postulated by many authors. Here we report the development of DNA-based detection assays as powerful tools to elucidate the Marteilia refringens life cycle. After alignment of the Marteilia refringens ribosomal DNA small subunit sequence with those of various eukaryotic organisms, polymerase chain reaction primers were designed. Specific primers were used to amplify DNA extracted from purified Marteilia refringens and infected hosts. The specificity of amplified fragments was confirmed by Southern blotting with an oligoprobe. For in situ hybridization, four probes were tested for specific detection of 18S rRNA isolated from Marteilia refringens and other eukaryotic cells by Northern blotting. The most specific probe, Smart 2, was successfully used to detect Marteilia refringens by in situ hybridization in infected oysters and mussels.
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