First report of Perkinsus beihaiensis in wild clams Anomalocardia brasiliana (Bivalvia: Veneridae) in Brazil

Abstract

This is the first report of Perkinsus sp. (Bivalvia: Veneridae) infecting wild clams of the species Anomalocardia brasiliana in Brazil. The gill lamellae and rectum of 150 specimens of A. brasiliana collected in the Timonha river estuary (Ceará, Northeastern Brazil) in March 2012 were incubated in Ray’s fluid thioglycollate medium (RFTM) for detection of Perkinsus sp. In RFTM, the prevalence of Perkinsus sp. was 14.7% (22/150) and the intensity of infection ranged from very light (1–10 cells across the slide) to light (12–100 cells). The presence of Perkinsus sp. was confirmed by PCR in seven (31.8%) out of 22 RFTM-positive specimens. DNA sequencing confirmed the presence of the genus Perkinsus and the phylogenetic analysis strongly indi- cated Perkinsus beihaiensis as the species responsible for the infection. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Located on the coast of Ceará, 300 km northwest of Fortaleza (Northeastern Brazil), the Timonha river estuary is home to a number of bivalves of commercial interest, including the mangrove oyster Crassostrea rhizophorae, the mussel species Mytella falcata and Mordella guyanensis and the clam species Anomalocardia brasiliana, locally known as “búzio”. These bivalves are of socioeconomic and ecological importance as a source of food and income for local communities.