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Small subunit ribosomal RNA and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene sequences of 21 strains of the parasitic scuticociliate Miamiensis avidus (Ciliophora, Scuticociliatia)

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Abstract

The scuticociliate Miamiensis avidus is a histophagous parasite that causes high mortality in cultured marine fishes. Small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) genes were analyzed for 21 strains of M. avidus isolated from diseased olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), ridged-eye flounder (Pleuronichthys cornutus), and spotted knifejaw (Oplegnathus fasciatus) in Korea and Japan (collected in 2003–2007). Analysis of SSU rRNA gene sequences (1,759 bp) indicates they are very conserved with less than 0.17% (3 nucleotides) differences suggesting that SSU rRNA are useful to identify M. avidus; however, the cox1 gene (900 bp) has higher variations with intraspecific divergences up to 5.67% (51 nucleotides). A distance tree of cox1 gene sequences based on a neighbor-joining analysis can separate 21 strains into five cox1 types (two heterogeneous clusters and three individual branches). The cox1-type matches with serotype of strains but do not reflect geographical origins, host species, or pathogenicity.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Korea Research Foundation Grant funded by the Korean Government (MOEHRD, Basic Research Promotion Fund) (KRF-313-2007-2-F00076), and by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Grant to PTKW. The work of MSK was supported through funding to the Canadian Barcode of Life Network from Genome Canada, an NSERC Discovery Grant to D.H. Lynn and other sponsors (listed at http://www.BOLNET.ca).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Aqualife Medicine, Chonnam National University, Chonnam, 550-749, South Korea

    Sung-Ju Jung & Eun-Young Im

  2. Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada

    Michaela C. Strüder-Kypke & Patrick T. K. Woo

  3. Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Matsuyama, 790-8577, Japan

    Shin-Ichi Kitamura

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  1. Sung-Ju Jung
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  5. Patrick T. K. Woo
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Correspondence to Patrick T. K. Woo.

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Jung, SJ., Im, EY., Strüder-Kypke, M.C. et al. Small subunit ribosomal RNA and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene sequences of 21 strains of the parasitic scuticociliate Miamiensis avidus (Ciliophora, Scuticociliatia). Parasitol Res 108, 1153–1161 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2157-7

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