• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.303-310
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• 2023

Yellow goosefish (Lophius litulon) is one of the important commercial fisheries target species in Korea, and commonly consumed as braised or stew. The microsporidian Spraguea is known to infect the nervous system of lophiid fish, forming numerous visible whitish xenomas. This parasite is commonly found in lophiid fish worldwide, but there is no information on the infection status of this parasite in Korea. We obtained commercially available chopped packs of lophiid fish from several fish markets and investigated their prevalence of infection. The isolated xenomas were crushed and purified as mature spore suspension. Microscopic observation and PCR were conducted to visualize and identify them. The host fish was also identified by DNA bar cording analysis. All the specimens were heavily infected and microscopic observation with Giemsa or Chromotrope 2R stain revealed tiny oval shapes of typical microsporidian spores. PCR analysis targeting the partial SSU rDNA showed that our specimen belongs to the genus Spraguea clade. But clear identification at the species level was not possible, due to the insufficient information of gene sequences available in GenBank. In addition, all of our host fish specimen was identified as yellow goosefish. This is the first report of a microsporidian parasite Spraguea infection in yellow goosefish from Korea.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.221-228
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• 2009

Nosema sp. infection in the Indian tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta exerts a complex of influences on its host. The instar duration was extended significantly (P<0.001) except in $1^{st}$ instar. The infected larvae took about 48 days to reach the spinning stage against 40 days in the uninfected ones. The final weight attained by the larva at the end of each instar of development declined significantly following infection, as did weight gain and relative growth rate (RGR). The growth recorded/ day declined in infected larvae compared to uninfected ones from 8.2% during $1^{st}$ instar to 43.3% during $5^{th}$ instar. Food ingestion and digestion increased with advancement of the instar significantly irrespective of the status of the larvae but the relative consumption rate (RCR) declined. These parameters significantly declined in infected larvae (except food digested during $2^{nd}$ instar). The decline was more during $3^{rd}$ instar. In contrast, the approximate digestibility (AD %) was significantly higher in infected larvae than uninfected ones leaving the $1^{st}$ instar larvae unaffected. The efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI) and efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD) did not change in a patterned way following the microsporidia (Nosema sp.) infection. The values of ECI significantly changed during $2^{nd}$, $3^{rd}$ and $5^{th}$ instars; while the change in ECD during $2^{nd}$, $4^{th}$ and $5^{th}$ were significant. During the entire larval life all the parameters tends to decline significantly following microsporidia infection but AD registered a significant increase. Nosema sp. spore concentration has increased 270.7 times during larval development in the course of experimentation.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.199-204
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• 2002

A microsporidium, from cabbage white bntteflies, Pieris rapae, collected in Korea, was purified and characterized according to its gene structure, spore morphology and pathogenicity. From the observation of the isolate by SEM and TEM, the endospores, exospores and nuclei, about 12 polar filament coils of the polar tube and posterior vacuoles were all identified. The nucleotide sequence was determined for a portion of genomic DNA which spans the V4 variable region of the small subunit rRNA gene. Comparison with the GenBank database for 15 other microsporidia species suggests that this isolate is most closely related to Nosema species. The pathogenicity against cabbage white butterflies was quantified by inoculating variable doses of spores to the second instar larvae. Peroral inoculation at a dosage of 10$\^$8/ spores/ml resulted in the death of all larvae prior to adult eclosion, but at lower spore dosages of 10$\^$4/-10$\^$5/ spores/ml, many adults successfully emerged. The median lethal dose (LD$\_$50/) was deter-mined to be 4.6$\times$10$\^$6/ spores/ml and the isolate also transmitted transovarially to the progeny eggs at a frequency of 92%.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2010

Enterocytozoon bieneusi, a microsporidian species, has emerged as an opportunistic pathogen in AIDS patients. This organism has also been identified in a wide range of animals, and the zoonotic potential of human infections is of particular interest. This study revealed that this organism was found with relatively high prevalence in feces of asymptomatic cattle in Korea. Fecal specimens were obtained from a total of 1,720 cattle in a slaughterhouse located in Chungnam province, Daejeon city and Chonbuk province. After removal of fecal debris by sieving and density gradient centrifugation, samples were examined by microscopic examination and then nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Microscopic examination with the modified trichrome staining for the fecal specimens revealed 194 (11.28%) positive calves for microsporidia spore. PCR using the specific primer for E. bieneusi revealed 79 (4.59%) positive calves. The infection ratio of microsporidia was higher in March than other season.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.121-131
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• 2016

Ten microsporidian isolates from Samia cynthia ricini, and Antheraea assamensis in India along with a Nosema reference strain (NIK-1s_mys) from B. mori India were characterised morphologically and molecular based tools. The test isolates observed elongated oval in shape while reference strain was oval and ranging from 3.80 to 4.90 m in length and 2.60 to 3.05 m in width. The ribosomal DNA region 'IGS' of test isolates assessed by PCR amplification, followed by cloning and sequencing. IGS sequence and phylogenetic analysis of test microsporidian isolates showed very close relationship with three Nosema references species: N. philosamia, N. antheraea isolated from Philosamia cynthia ricini and Antheraea perny in China respectively and N. disstriae from Malacosma disstriae in Canada. The clustering pattern of dendogram reveals all test isolates appear distinct from Nosema std. (NIK-1s_mys) India used as reference strain in the study. The result suggests IGS indeed a suitable and highly applicable molecular tool for identifying and characterise the microsporidian isolates in similar population.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.146-153
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• 1997

The microsporidian infection with Nosema bombycis, reconfirmed its high virulence and transovarial tranmissibility, however, the characteristic symptom of the spots like pepper grains on the diseased larval skin was no more recognized by present varieties of the silkworm. Transovarial transmission rate detected from moth was above 90% in dead eggs or dead larvae in the rearing by mulberry leaves, 80% in the newly hatched larvae starved to death. Transovarially transmitted N. bombycis was easily observed from dead eggs and larvae, and were suggested an individual inspection of a few of dead eggs for detection of the pathogenic spores. The progeny population provided indicative factors on the sampling of predictive and corrective inspection. The higher concentration of N. bombycis spores included in the hindabdormal part of infected moth, applicative on the simple method of indivisual moth inspection. For the predictive inspection of growned 5th-instar larvae, N. bombycis infection was detectable without microscopic observation by the unique symptom of turbid milky-white spots on the silk gland. Inspection of the meconia artificially discharged from silkworm moth, was also succesful of microscopic observation before crossing, without killing or homogenize the moths. The results provided a basis of rational methods for the inspection of N. bombycis infection of the silkworm.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.154-160
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• 1997

Present experiment designed for the review of theoretical basis for the inspection system of infected insects by Nosema bombycis. A microporidian N. bombycis, known as the high virulence, produced at the average of 7$\times$108 spores per female moth of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, enabled transovarial tranmission. Detectability of N. bombycis spores in the mass inspection was varied by dillution level, the higher limit of dillution with healthy moths was 1:140 for 100% detection, 1:160 for 99.5%, 1:200 for 99.0%. For an efficient inspection under the microscopic observation (600$\times$), the lower limit of spore concentration was determined as 1, 000, 000 spores/ml, 60-80 moths could be applicable for a maximum sample unit of a lot. Following the present inspection unit conditioned 35 to 40 moths for a lot. N. bombycis spores were easily detectable from the preparation of crude homogenate with 2% KOH, even the step of contrifuge was omitted. The results suggested a new basis of rational mass inspection system of silkworm female moths to save the facilities, labor, and time.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.339-344
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• 2016

The genus Sarcocystis is not usually considered as an important enteric pathogen in immune compromised patients. It might be expected that species for which humans are the final host (Sarcocystis hominis and Sarcocystis suihominis as well as possibly others) would be encountered increasingly often in immunodeficient persons. This study aimed to address how to detect and differentiate Sarcocystis oocysts and/or sporocysts from enteric protozoans in the diarrheal samples of immunodeficient patients in Shiraz, Iran. Diarrheal samples of 741 immunodeficient patients with recurrent persistent or chronic diarrhea were examined by microscopy and molecular biological analysis. Oocysts-positive samples were 68 Cryptosporidium spp., 9 Cystoisospora belli (syn. Isospora belli), 2 Cyclospora cayetanensis, and 15 microsporidia (Enterocytozoon bieneusi). Sarcocystis-like sporocysts found from a woman were identified as Sarcocystis cruzi through 18S rDNA amplification and phylogenetic analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of S. cruzi from a human.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.157-163
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• 2008

Infection of pathogenic microsporidia, Nosema bombycis and Nosema mylitta (Chakrabarti and Manna, 2006) decreased egg production, fecundity, hatching % and increased sterile eggs in heavily infected mulberry silkmoth, Bombyx mori L. On an average a disease free moth laid upto 442.67 eggs with high hatching % (99.53) and less sterile eggs ($0.47{\sim}2.00%$). While an infected moth laid less number of eggs ($7.00{\sim}412.00$) with low hatching % ($32.437{\sim}98.643$) and high sterile eggs ($2.143{\sim}129.571$). Fecundity of disease free laying was highest (468.714) during season-1 then gradually decreased during season- 2 (414.000) to season- 3 (404.285). But fecundity of an infected laying was highest during season-2 and hatched eggs were lowest during season-2. Higher inoculums concentration of N. mylitta infected to 5th stage larva of mulberry silkworm drastically decreased the fecundity in season - 3 and lower inoculums concentration of N. bombycis decreased the fecundity in season-1 and 3. Season-3 was most effective season to decrease the fecundity and increase sterile eggs when both temperature and humidity were fluctuated from the optimum level.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 2008

The influence of temperature and relative humidity in infection and cross-infection of Nosema bombycis and N. mylitta respectively in mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori L. on larval mortality, multiplication of pathogens, larval weight and growth rate in three different seasons were studied. Seasons were selected in such condition, when very less fluctuations between minimum and maximum temperature and minimum and maximum relative humidity ($25{\sim}28^{\circ}C$ and $65{\sim}72%$ R.H) was observed i.e., season-1. Fluctuations between minimum and maximum temperature were less ($28.05{\sim}34.50^{\circ}C$) but R.H % was more ($55{\sim}81%$) in season-2. Fluctuations between minimum and maximum temperature and R.H % were more ($20.00{\sim}40.5^{\circ}C$ and $64.00{\sim}90.00%$) in season-3. Growth rate of microsporidian-infected silkworm is directly related to the prevailing temperature and relative humidity in silkworm. Silkworm can tolerate slight variation of temperature but slight variation of relative humidity disfavours the development of silkworm and favours the multiplication of pathogens.