• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.107-115
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• 2012

In developing a useful tool to detect parasitic dynamics in an estuarine ecosystem, a denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) assay was optimized by cloning plasmid DNA from the grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio, and its two parasites, the trematode Microphallus turgidus and bopyrid isopod Probopyrus pandalicola. The optimal separation condition was an oven temperature of $57.9^{\circ}C$ and 62-68% of buffer B gradient at a flow rate of 0.45 mL/min. A peptide nucleic acid blocking probe was designed to clamp the amplification of the host gene, which increased the amplification efficiency of genes with low copy numbers. Using the DHPLC assay with wild-type genomic, the assay could detect GC Gram positive bacteria and the bopyrid isopod (P. pandalicola). Therefore, the DHPLC assay is an effective tool for surveying parasitic dynamics in an estuarine ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.413-418
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• 2014

The effect of a bopyrid isopod Argeia pugettensis, on the growth and reproduction of the Kuro shrimp Argis lar was investigated. A commercial caridean shrimp in the East Sea of Korea, A. lar, was sampled monthly off Pohang with a bottom trawl from July 2009 to June 2011. During the study period, 7,988 individuals were sampled. These shrimp were parasitized by a bopyrid isopod Argeia pugettensis. The overall infection rate was 3.3%, although it declined in the larger size classes. It did not change monthly. The carapace lengths of the host and parasite were positively correlated. There was a significant difference in growth between infested and non-infested shrimp. The infested shrimp also had a lower gonadosomatic index (GSI) and breeding rate. These results suggest that the parasites affected the growth and reproduction of Argis lar.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2016

Isopods are parasitic crustaceans that pose serious threat to fisheries. Several studies have tried to explore the host-pathogen relationship between marine fishes and isopods. The present study aims to understanding the secondary infections in marine fishes pertaining to isopods. To assess the secondary infection in infected fishes, parasite infested and healthy tissues of fishes were collected. The samples were subjected to standard microbiological procedure to identify the presence of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Our results showed the branchial region had the higher microbial load of non-sporulating cenocytic fungi in infected fishes. Moreover, fungal strains isolated from the parasitic lesion confirmed that the parasitation and body lesion facilitates the entry of several pathogenic microbes at the damaged host tissue. More over the immune regulation of fish fights back by producing minute cysts, trying to encapsulate the growing fungus. But this may eventually lead to systemic infestation and death of the fish.