First record of Perkinsus marinus infecting Crassostrea sp. in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, using real-time PCR

• Published in: Journal of invertebrate pathology Vol. 198; p. 107917
• Main Authors: Rocha, Célio Souza da, Sabry, Rachel Costa, Rocha, Rafael dos Santos, Maggioni, Rodrigo, Araújo, Bruno Vinicius Silva de, Silva, Renata Julia dos Santos, Antunes, João Marcelo Azevedo de Paula
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2023
• Subjects: Animals; Apicomplexa - genetics; Brazil; Crassostrea; Crassostrea sp; Ecosystem; Perkinsus marinus; qPCR; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Brazil; Crassostrea sp; Perkinsus marinus; qPCR
• ISSN: 0022-2011; 1096-0805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2023.107917

•First record of Perkinsus marinus infecting oysters Crassostrea sp. in the estuaries of the Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.•ITS primers recommended for official diagnosis of P. marinus by PCR were efficient in the qPCR performed.•New reports of P. marinus infecting oysters in Brazilian northeastern put producers and animal defense agencies on alert. A pathogen with high virulence potential in some host species, Perkinsus marinus remains a challenge for the ecological integrity of marine ecosystems and the health of bivalve molluscs. This study investigates the occurrence of P. marinus in Crassostrea sp. in estuaries of the Potengi River and the Guaraíras lagoon in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. A total of 203 oyster samples that tested positive for Perkinsus sp. in Ray's fluid thioglycollate medium (RFTM) were subjected to species-specific quantitiative PCR, where 61 animals (30.05 %) presented amplification graphs with a melting temperature of 80.1 ± 0.6 °C matching the positive control. This was the first record of P. marinus in oysters in these estuaries using qPCR as a diagnostic tool.