title: Myxozoan parasites disseminated via oligochaete worms as live food for aquarium fishes: descriptions of aurantiactinomyxon and raabeia actinospore types.
abstract: A total of 7 samples of live freshwater oligochaetes (mixed species), sold as 'tubifex' worms as food for aquarium fishes, were purchased over a 1 yr period from several pet shops in Munich, Germany, and screened for parasitic infections of myxozoans. The water associated with 5 samples contained actinospores at the time of purchase; 6 samples subsequently released spores in the laboratory. In all, 12 types of actinospores (Myxozoa: Myxosporea) from 4 collective groups were released by the oligochaetes. In the current study we provide descriptions of 2 aurantiactinomyxons (Myxobolus intimus Zaika, 1965 and type 1 nov.) and 3 raabeias (type 1 and 2 nov., Raabeia type 1 of Oumouna et al., 2003); descriptions of the 5 triactinomyxon and 2 hexactinomyxon types have been published previously. We include both raabeia and echinactinomyxon types in differential diagnoses of our raabeia forms because a clear distinction between these groups no longer exists in the literature. Comparison of 18S rDNA sequence data revealed that 1 of the novel aurantiactinomyxons was Myxobolus intimus. The sale of worms hundreds of km away from their point of origin is a means of dissemination of myxozoan parasites.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Fish Biology and Fish Diseases, University of Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Sascha L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hallett
authors.forename: Stephen D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: Christer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Erséus
authors.forename: Mansour
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El-Matbouli
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000469:parasitology*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005399:Fishes; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000469:parasitology*; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D033761:Spores, Protozoan / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S