ABSTRACT
Perkinsus, a parasitic pathogen of marine bivalves, is widely distributed among various mollusks in numerous countries. However, the prevalence and diversity of Perkinsus species in the two economically important mussels, Mytilus coruscus and M. galloprovincialis, in China remain unknown. The presence of the Perkinsus species was identified in the two mussels sampled along the coast of the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, using both the alternative Ray's fluid thioglycolate medium (ARFTM) and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The ARFTM test indicated the presence of Perkinsus-like hypnospores in the two mussels. The diameter of the hypnospores in M. coruscus was significantly smaller than that in M. galloprovincialis. The prevalence of Perkinsus in M. galloprovincialis and M. coruscus ranged from 0 to 37.5% and 0 to 25%, respectively. The mean intensity of Perkinsus in M. galloprovincialis and M. coruscus ranged from 0 to 5.14 and 0 to 4.92, respectively. The PCR assay showed that the prevalence of Perkinsus spp. in M. galloprovincialis and M. coruscus was 0 to 25.0% and 0 to 12.5%, respectively. The homology analysis of the newly obtained internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of Perkinsus revealed the highest identity of 100% with P. beihaiensis. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Perkinsus isolates from the two mussels were clustered with P. beihaiensis. The results of the molecular biology indicated that only P. beihaiensis was detected in the two mussels. The highest prevalence of P. beihaiensis was observed in Liaoning province (Dalian, 20.83%), followed by Shandong province, Zhejiang province and Fujian province. Consequently, it is recommended that surveillance should be conducted in Dalian, where the prevalence and mean intensity of P. beihaiensis in M. galloprovincialis are the highest.
