Document Type

Article

Department/Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Publication Date

1998

Journal

Parasite-Journal De La Societe Francaise De Parasitologie

Volume

5

Issue

4

First Page

341

Last Page

348

Abstract

Two continuous, axenic cultures of Perkinsus spp. (H49 and G117)were obtained from the softshell clam Mya arenaria collected from Swan Point in the Chester River, Chesapeake Bay (Maryland).

Isolate H49 was obtained from the hemolymph of a heavily infected clam. Except for their larger size, H49 trophozoites and schizonts exhibited the characteristic morphology of Perkinsus marinus and divided by schizogony. Isolate G117 was obtained from a combined gill/palp sample of a moderately infected clam. Unlike H49, vegetative forms (trophozoites and schizonts) of G117 were present along with prezoosporulation stages in the same culture. In culture, G117 cells multiplied by both schizogony and successive bi-partition.

Both H49 and G117 cells reacted positively with anti-Perkinsus marinus polyclonal serum and formed hypnospores upon incubation in Ray's fluid thioglycolate medium that stained black with Lugol's iodine. This is the first isolation of Perkinsus species from the softshell clam. Studies to determine the infectivity, pathogenicity, enzyme activities, and genotyping of both softshell clam Perkinsus spp. are ongoing.

DOI

10.1051/parasite/1998054341

Keywords

Perkinsus spp.; softshell clam (Mya arenaria); in vitro; zoosporulation

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