Molecular Characterization of Muscle Infecting Myxobolus sp. Causing Outbreak in Labeo rohita, Rohu: First Report from Andaman Islands

Abstract

Among the myxozoan parasites, the genus Myxobolus is considered as the emerging parasite in freshwater aquaculture. In the present study, a disease outbreak associated with mass mortality was investigated in a carp farm located at North and Middle Andaman district of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The affected rohu fry exhibited the clinical signs such as lethargic movement, dark body colouration, loss of appetite, excess mucus secretion, 1-2 mm multifocal white nodules on the body surface and skeletal deformities including spinal curvatures. Molecular characterization using 18S rRNA along with clinical signs identified the causative agent as muscle infecting Myxobolus sp. (GenBank accession number MK128509) which showed 95.45% identity with Myxobolus musculi and 95.23% identity with Myxobolus pseudodispar. Genetic distance and phylogenetic tree analysis were performed to elucidate the relationship between the Myxobolus sp. obtained in the present study and the members of other congeners. This investigation serves as the first report of Myxobolus sp. outbreak from Andaman and Nicobar Islands and also reiterates the need for implementation of strict biosecurity measures to preserve the freshwater aquatic fauna of these Islands.

Policy framework and development strategy for freshwater aquaculture sector in the light of COVID-19 impact in Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, India

“…Incidences of diseases and health management remain an issue to be addressed in the aquaculture sector ( Meena et al, 2013 ; Saravanan et al, 2015 , Saravanan et al, 2017 , Saravanan et al, 2021 ). Advisories on better management (health management, water quality, etc.)…”

Stakeholder perceptions and strategies for management of non-native freshwater fishes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

“…Although fishes like Indian Major Carps, Magur and Singhi are native to Indian waters, their transportation for aquaculture purposes into the Island ecosystems should be undertaken with utmost care, as these native fishes to Indian waters along with the non-native fishes to Indian waters could interact with the unique freshwater biodiversity of the Islands. Transplanted fishes may also potentially harbor diseases and parasitic infestations in Island conditions (Saravanan et al, 2017;Kiruba-Sankar et al, 2018;Saravanan et al, 2020). More precautionary approaches are also required in case of ornamental fishes transported into the Islands as many of these fishes could potentially endanger the native fauna if it gets introduced accidentally (Krishnakumar et al, 2009;Knight, 2010;Singh and Lakra, 2011).…”

Character-based Diagnostic Keys, Molecular Identification and Phylogenetic Relationships of Fishes based on Mitochondrial Gene from Pulicat Lake, India: A Tool for Conservation and Fishery Management Purposes

“…The species list and the GenBank accession numbers are provided in Table 1. According to the current study, many researchers utilised the BLASTn similarity approach to check sequences (Rathipriya et al, 2019;Lee and Kim, 2020;Das and Choudhury, 2021;Saravanan et al, 2021). They studied 16 rRNA gene sequences showed both conserved and variable regions.…”