Experimental Scuticociliatosis in Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) infected with Miamiensis avidus: pathological study on the possible neural routes of invasion and dissemination of the scuticociliate inside the fish body.

Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) were experimentally infected with the highly pathogenic scuticociliate Miamiensis avidus (syn. Philasterides dicentrarachi) using the immersion method to clarify/identify the possible neural routes of entry and possible ways of dissemination of the scuticociliate in the fish body. Scuticociliates were observed on the skin and gills right from day 0-1 post-infection, muscle tissue on day 2 post-infection, reached the brain, and spinal cord on day 3 post-infection, and systemic infection was prominent afterwards. Brain lesions were observed in most of the examined fish from days 3 and 4 post-infection and considered to be the cause of the sudden increase in mortality. Affected fish showed varying degrees of tissue damage including severe epidermal and dermal necrotic lesions, necrotic myositis, encephalitis and myelitis. Whereas, scuticociliates were frequently observed along the optic and/or olfactory nerve in the fish which were accompanied by severe brain lesions but by minimum lesions in the gills and skin, suggesting that in addition to skin and/or gills, neural routes including periorbital and nasal routes may play a role in scuticociliate invasion to the brain. Scuticociliates were also observed in the peripheral nerve fibers in the muscle tissue, cranial and spinal nerves, cranial cavity and in the vertebral canal, suggesting that nerve fibers and/or cerebrospinal fluid circulation may be involved in the spread of the scuticociliate throughout the body in addition to the blood circulation and connective tissue.

Pathological study on the scuticociliatosis affecting farmed Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) in Japan.

Pathological findings associated with scuticociliatosis in farmed Japanese flounder in Japan are described. Ten moribund fishes, farmed in Tottori Prefectural Fisheries Experimental Station, showed cutaneous ulcers, darkened skin, fin and tail rot, exophthalmia and alterations in swimming behaviour. Histopathologically, severe epidermal degeneration and necrosis, hyperplasia of branchial epithelium, myositis, myelitis, encephalitis associated with heavy accumulation of scuticociliates in the periorbital cavity and optic nerve fiber were observed. Moreover, masses of ciliates were found to feed on the host tissues such as skeletal muscles, gills and brain, causing severe degenerative changes associated with abundant neutrophilic and lymphocytic infiltration. These findings suggest that the present scuticociliate, Miamiensis avidus, is a highly invasive and destructive pathogen infecting Japanese flounder and capable of developing systemic fatal infection.