Experimental identification of the actinosporean stage of Sphaerospora renicola Dykova & Lom 1982 (Myxosporea: Sphaerosporidae) in oligochaete alternate hosts

Molnár, Kálmán and El-Mansy, A. and Székely, Csaba and Baska, Ferenc (1999) Experimental identification of the actinosporean stage of Sphaerospora renicola Dykova & Lom 1982 (Myxosporea: Sphaerosporidae) in oligochaete alternate hosts. Journal of Fish Diseases, 22 (2). pp. 143-153. ISSN 0140-7775 (print), 1365-2761 (online)

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Abstract

The extrapiscine development of Sphaerospora renicola, a myxosporean parasite of the kidney of common carp, Cyprinus carpio L., was studied in the experimentally infected oligochaetes Tubifex tubifex (Muller) and Branchiura sowerbyi (Beddard). After the infection of these tubificids with homogenized common carp kidneys containing myxospores of S. renicola, the development of actinosporean stages was first observed under light microscopy 8 days after infection in pathogen-free T. tubifex. Infection of B, sowerbyi with mature actinosporean stages was first observed 91 days after infection. At that stage of development, pansporocysts containing neoactinospores filled the intestinal epithelium of the worm. Ninety-five days after infection, pansporocysts containing actinospores and free actinospores were found in the gut lumen of B. sowerbyi. Actinospores of S. renicola emerged from B. sowerbyi after 98 days of intraoligochaete development. These were floating in the water and showed the typical form of neoactinospores. The shape of the spores was triangular in apical view and elliptical in lateral view. The prevalence of infection reached 37%. Control specimens of B. sowerbyi proved to be free of neoactinospores. Except for a single specimen of B. sowerbyi, the only early developmental stages (pansporocysts) were found in T. tubifex.

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