RESUMO
Steinhausia mytilovum is a globally distributed microsporidian parasite which infects the oocytes of the blue mussels Mytilus edulis and M. galloprovincialis. Despite the intensive monitoring effort made on mussel populations, the parasite has not previously been reported in France. We report herein on the occurrence of S. mytilovum in Mytilus sp. from 1 cultured and 2 natural populations on the northern coast of France, thus extending the parasite's known distribution northwards. We also report on the observation in 1989 of S. mytilovum in M. galloprovincialis from the Golfe de Fos area in the Mediterranean Sea (South of France). S. mytilovum was observed in the European hybrid zone between M. edulis and M. galloprovincialis, which therefore renders the exact taxonomic status of the infected hosts unknown. The prevalence of the parasite was low, which suggests that its effect on mussel populations was probably limited.
Assuntos
Bivalves/parasitologia , Microsporea/citologia , Oócitos/patologia , Animais , Feminino , França , Geografia , Técnicas Histológicas , PrevalênciaRESUMO
We report the occurrence of the microsporidian parasite Steinhausia sp. in the oocytes of the common cockle Cerastoderma edule in a natural population in France, where high mortalities occurred. Steinhausia sp. appeared primarily as sporocysts containing many small spores, and putative earlier developmental stages were also observed. Both its prevalence and infection intensity were low, and no host defence reaction was recognized, suggesting that Steinhausia sp. had no detrimental effect on C. edule. Its prevalence was higher in cockles lying on the sediment surface, but the significance of this observation could not be explained given the poor knowledge of the Steinhausia life cycle. The present data did not allow specific identification of the parasite, and further studies are required to determine whether Steinhausia sp. in the cockle is a new species, or a microsporidian infecting multiple host species.