Are Ichthyosporea animals or fungi? Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of elongation factor 1α of Ichthyophonus irregularis

Ichthyosporea is a recently recognized group of morphologically simple eukaryotes, many of which cause disease in aquatic organisms. Ribosomal RNA sequence analyses place Ichthyosporea near the divergence of the animal and fungal lineages, but do not allow resolution of its exact phylogenetic position. Some of the best evidence for a specific grouping of animals and fungi (Opisthokonta) has come from elongation factor 1α, not only phylogenetic analysis of sequences but also the presence or absence of short insertions and deletions. We sequenced the EF-1α gene from the ichthyosporean parasite Ichthyophonus irregularis and determined its phylogenetic position using neighbor-joining, parsimony and Bayesian methods. We also sequenced EF-1α genes from four chytrids to provide broader representation within fungi. Sequence analyses and the presence of a characteristic 12 amino acid insertion strongly indicate that I. irregularis is a member of Opisthokonta, but do not resolve whether I. irregularis is a specific relative of animals or of fungi. However, the EF-1α of I. irregularis exhibits a two amino acid deletion heretofore reported only among fungi.     

Feeding, Ichthyophonus sp. infection, distribution and growth history of Norwegian spring-spawning herring in summer

After its collapse in the late 1960s, 1991 was the first year of systematic herring investigations after the Norwegian Sea stock returned to the traditional summer-feeding areas. Of 11 prey groups three dominated the diet; Calanus finmarchicus, Parathemisto spp. and Sebastes spp. There was a high prevalence of Ichthyophonus sp. at stations in the central and western parts of the Norwegian Sea where the cpue was low. This suggests that infected individuals were unable to return from the feeding to the wintering area of the Norwegian fjords. Highest cpue were recorded between 68–73° N and 5–15° E. Age groups 2, 3 and 8 were most frequently caught and age group 8 (the 1983 year class) dominated the samples. Herring occurred in dense concentrations where C. finmarchicus dominated diet. 0-group fish dominated diet at stations along the coast from 66–73° N and out to c . 300 km off the coast. Mature herring overlapped in distribution with 0-group fish and Sebastes spp. contributed largely to herring diet in this area. The first rich year-class after the collapse, the 1983 year class, had a faster growth than rich year classes from past herring periods, but slower than poor ones.     

Ichthyophonus infections in cultured marine fish from Spain

Ichthyophonus sp. is reported for the first time in Mugil capito (thinlip grey mullet) and Li a saliens (leaping grey mullet). The fungus was also found in L. aurata (golden grey mullet), Dicentrarchus labrax (sea bass), Sparus aurata (gilthead sea bream) and Scophthalmus maximus (turbot), whereas Mugil cephalus (grey mullet) was not parasitized. In fish sampled periodically, the highest prevalences were observed in sea bass and the lowest in turbot. Among the fish sampled occasionally, the fungus was found associated to an epizootic in thinlip grey mullet. Ichthyophonus was never found in fish weighing <0·5 g. An increase in the prevalence of infection with the age of turbot and gilthead sea bream was observed. Gilthead sea bream and sea bass showed higher prevalences in a closed system than in open and semi-intensive systems. Multinucleate spherical spores, hyphae and endospores of Ichthyophonus sp. parasitized different organs of thinlip and leaping grey mullets, though infection intensity was maximal in the spleen. In the remaining fish, the fungus was found mainly in the trunk kidney, where it appeared frequently in a necrotic form. Ichthyophonus sp. can be considered a potential threat for marine fish aquaculture, especially in culture conditions which may favour the introduction and transmission of the fungus.