title: First isolation of Miamiensis avidus (Ciliophora: Scuticociliatida) associated with skin ulcers from reared pharaoh cuttlefish Sepia pharaonis.
abstract: In the winter of 2015, a skin ulcer disease outbreak occurred in a pharaoh cuttlefish Sepia pharaonis population cultured on a land-based fish farm in China. Affected cuttlefish (about 60% of the population) were characterized as having developed ulcers on the dorsal skin, fin fringe, or distal mantle tip. Masses of a ciliated protozoan were isolated from skin ulcers. The ciliate was identified as Miamiensis avidus based on the morphological features of living and protargol-impregnated specimens. This identification was also supported by high sequence similarity of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (100%) and another ribosomal DNA region (including the 2 internal transcribed spacers and the 5.8S gene; 99%) with published sequences of fish parasitic M. avidus strains. M. avidus is known to be a histophagous marine fish parasite. This report describes the first case of M. avidus associated with skin ulcers in a cephalopod mollusk (Mollusca, Cephalopoda). This finding suggests that M. avidus may infect a phylogenetically broader range of hosts than what has previously been reported. Furthermore, M. avidus may pose a health risk to hatchery-reared cephalopods.
authors.affiliation: School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiangrui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Suming
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Guoliang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D049833:Sepia / Q000469:parasitology*
keywords: Miamiensis avidus; Pharaoh cuttlefish; Sepia pharaonis; Skin ulcers