A microsporidian parasite of the genus Spraguea in the nervous tissues of the Japanese anglerfish Lophius litulon
2004
Freeman, M.A. | Yokoyama, H. | Ogawa, K. (The Univ. of Tokyo (Japan). Dept. of Aquatic Bioscience)
The aim of the present study was to determine the species of the microsporidian parasite found in the nervous tissues of Japanese anglerfish, Lophius litulon. Xenomas were removed and prepared for standard wax histology and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). DNA extractions were performed on parasite spores and used in PCR and sequencing reactions. Fresh spores measured 3.4 x 1.8 microm and were uniform in size with no dimorphism observed. TEM confirmed that only a single developmental cycle and a single spore form were present. Small subunit (SSU) rDNA sequences were 99.5 % similar to those of Spraguea lophii and Glugea americanus from the European and American Lophius spp. respectively. The microsporidian from the nervous tissue of L. litulon undoubtedly belongs in the genus Spraguea and the authors suggest a revision to the generic description of Spraguea to include monomorphic forms and the transfer of Glugea americanus to Spraguea americana comb. n. Since no major differences in ultrastructure or SSU rDNA sequence data exist between Spraguea americana and the microsporidian from the Japanese anglerfish, they evidently belong to the same species. This report of Spraguea americana is the first report of a Spraguea species from L. litulon and indeed from the Pacific water mass.
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