title: Specific PCR for Myxobolus arcticus SSU rDNA in juvenile sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka from British Columbia, Canada.
abstract: A PCR for the specific detection of the salmon brain parasite Myxobolus arcticus (Pugachev and Khokhlov, 1979) was developed using primers designed to amplify a 1363 base pair fragment of the small subunit rDNA. The assay did not amplify DNA from 5 other Myxobolus species or from 7 other myxozoan species belonging to 5 other genera. For juvenile sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum) collected from Chilko Lake, British Columbia (BC), Canada, in 2011, the prevalence by PCR was 96%, in contrast to 71% by histological examination of brain tissue. In 2010, the histological prevalence was 52.5%. Sequence identity between M. arcticus from Chilko Lake and other sites in BC ranged from 99.7 to 99.8% and was 99.6% for a Japanese sequence. In contrast, an M. arcticus sequence from Norway shared 95.3% identity with the Chilko Lake sequence, suggesting misidentification of the parasite. Chilko Lake sockeye salmon were previously reported free of infection with M. arcticus, and more research is required to understand the processes involved in the local and global dispersion of this parasite.
authors.affiliation: Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries & Oceans Canada, 3190 Hammond Bay Rd., Nanaimo, British Columbia V9T 6N7, Canada.
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahony
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Groman
authors.forename: Simon R M
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D055766:Myxobolus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010273:Parasitic Diseases, Animal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012474:Salmon; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal