title: Description of Perkinsus beihaiensis n. sp., a new Perkinsus sp. parasite in oysters of Southern China.
abstract: Oysters were collected from coastal locations in China from 1999-2006 for parasite analyses by molecular, culture, and histological techniques. Polymerase chain reaction-based assays targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal RNA gene complex were performed to detect the presence of Perkinsus species. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of amplified Perkinsus sp. DNAs indicated that a novel Perkinsus sp. infects Crassostrea hongkongensis, Crassostrea ariakensis, and other bivalve hosts from Fujian to Guangxi provinces in southern China. Prevalence of this Perkinsus sp. reaches as high as 60% in affected oyster populations. Analyses of nucleotide sequences of the rRNA ITS region and of large subunit rRNA and actin genes, consistently confirmed the genus affiliation of this Perkinsus sp., but distinguished it from currently accepted Perkinsus species. Parasite cell types, such as signet ring trophozoites of 2-8 microm diameter, were observed by histology, and application of both genus Perkinsus and Perkinsus species-specific in situ hybridization probes consistently labelled the same Perkinsus sp. cells in histological sections from infected oyster tissues. Combined phylogenetic and histological results support the identity of a new parasite species, Perkinsus beihaiensis n. sp.
authors.affiliation: The College of William and Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, PO Box 1346, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Moss
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Christopher F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Dungan
authors.forename: Kimberly S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Reece
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010125:Ostreidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D010271:Parasites / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D015800:Protozoan Proteins