• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.211-215
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• 2010

The genus Perkinsus are parasitic protozoans that cause massive inflammatory responses in infected marine shellfish worldwide. This ultimately leads to great economic losses. This study examined the effects of water temperature and salinity on the formation of prezoosporangia and zoosporangia in order to understand the ecology of the pathogens. The induction of prezoosporangia from trophozoites occurred readily at higher water temperatures (20 and $30^{\circ}C$) and they had larger diameters than those incubated at lower temperatures (4 and $10^{\circ}C$). The formation of zoospores in prezoosporangia was also strongly influenced by water temperature and salinity; prezoosporangia exposed to water temperatures of 20 and $30^{\circ}C$ and salinities of 20 and 30 ppt had high rates of zoosporulation, while no or very low rates of zoosporulation were observed at temperatures below $10^{\circ}C$ or salinity below 10 ppt. Our data will be useful for the development of strategies to counter P. olseni proliferation in Korean waters.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2001

The apicomplexan parasite, Perkinsus sp., has been reported as a causative pathogen responsible for the mass mortality of the Manila clams, Ruditapes philippinarum in European countries as well as in Korea. Prevalence, infection intensity, histopathologic features and zoosporulation of Perkinsus found in the Manila clams distributed along the coast of Cheju Island were investigated in this study. Clams were collected from nine different beaches along the Cheju Island from May to July in 2000. Ray's Fluid Thioglycollate Medium (RFTM) and Choi's NaOH lysis methods were applied in the diagnosis and quantification of the Perkinsus infection. Prevalence, percentage infection of the parasite examined was 100% in Pyosun, 70% in Sungsan, 63% in Kumneong, 33% in Jongdalri, 21% in Iho, 17% in Moslpo, and 14% in Seogwipo. No Perkinsus was found in the clams collected from Kimnyong and Yongmeo-ri. Infection intensity as a number of Perkinsus cells per gram tissue wet weight (twwt), was 98,430 cells/g twwt in Pyosun, 78,553 cells/g twwt in Sungsan, 18,980 cells/g twwt in Kumneong, 4,290 cells/g twwt in Jongdalri, 1,527 cells/g twwt in Iho, 1,069 cells/g twwt in Moslpo, and 853 cells/g twwt in Seogwipo. Histological preparation of the infected tissues revealed trophozoites of Perkinsus sp., ranged from 5 to 10 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, in diameter mostly distributed in the digestive gland and the gill filaments. Zoospores were discharged from the hypnospore via discharging tube about 2 days after incubated in filtered and aerated seawater. In general, the prevalence and infection intensity of Perkinsus in Cheju Island were much lower than that reported from the western and southern coast of Korea.