Inter-Research > DAO > v79 > n2 > p133-139  
DAO
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

via Mailchimp

DAO 79:133-139 (2008)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao01894

Transmission of Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae (Myxozoa: Malacosporea) to Fredericella sultana (Bryozoa: Phylactolaemata) by various fish species

Daniel S. Grabner, Mansour El-Matbouli*

Clinic for Fish and Reptiles (formerly: Institute of Zoology, Fish Biology and Fish Diseases), University of Munich, Kaulbachstr. 37, 80539 Munich, Germany
*Corresponding author. Email:

ABSTRACT: Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae is a myxozoan parasite of salmonids and freshwater bryozoans, which causes proliferative kidney disease (PKD) in the fish host. To test which fish species are able to transmit T. bryosalmonae to bryozoans, an infection experiment was conducted with 5 PKD-sensitive fish species from different genera. Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, brown trout Salmo trutta, brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis, grayling Thymallus thymallus and northern pike Esox lucius were cohabitated with T. bryosalmonae-infected Fredericella sultana colonies and then subsequently cohabitated with statoblast-reared parasite free Bryozoa. Statoblasts from infected colonies were tested by PCR to detect cryptic stages of T. bryosalmonae, which may indicate vertical transmission of the parasite. In this study, brown trout and brook trout were able to infect Bryozoa, while there was no evidence that rainbow trout and grayling were able to do so. Few interstitial kidney stages of the parasite were detected by immunohistochemistry in brown trout and brook trout, while rainbow trout and grayling showed marked proliferation of renal interstitial tissue and macrophages with numerous parasite cells. Intraluminal stages in the kidney tubules were only detected in brown trout and rainbow trout. In contrast to previous observations, pike was not susceptible to PKD in these trials according to the results of T. bryosalmonae-specific PCR. No DNA of T. bryosalmonae was detected in any statoblast.


KEY WORDS: Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae · Myxozoa · Malacosporea · Bryozoa · Proliferative kidney disease · PKD · Host specificity · Transmission experiment


Full text in pdf format
Cite this article as: Grabner DS, El-Matbouli M (2008) Transmission of Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae (Myxozoa: Malacosporea) to Fredericella sultana (Bryozoa: Phylactolaemata) by various fish species. Dis Aquat Org 79:133-139. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao01894

Export citation
Share:    Facebook - - linkedIn

 Previous article Next article