Occurrence of Perkinsus olseni in the Venus clam Protothaca jedoensis in Korean waters

This is the first report of the occurrence of Perkinsus olseni in the Venus clam Protothaca jedoensis off the western and southern coasts of South Korea. Histological observations revealed Perkinsus-like organisms in the mantle, gills, digestive tubules, and gonad. Haemocytic infiltration and tissue necrosis were also observed in heavily infected clams. Hypnospore formation of the Perkinsus-like organism was confirmed with Ray's fluid thioglycollate medium assay (RFTM). When incubated in filtered and aerated seawater, the hypnospore gave rise to cell division and subsequently discharged hundreds of motile zoospores. Genus- and species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and the DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of the Perkinsus sp. isolated from the Venus clam were identical to those of P. olseni reported from the Manila clam Venerupis (=Ruditapes)philippinarum. Based on the DNA sequences and microscopic data, the Perkinsus-like pathogen isolated from P. jedoensis was identified as P. olseni, which parasitizes the Manila clam in European and Asian waters and Haliotis rubra (abalone) in Australian waters. The prevalence and infection intensity of a clam population collected from Yosu, Korea, was determined using RFTM and Choi's 2M NaOH digestion technique. The intensities averaged 10,768 and 7438 Perkinsus cells per gram tissue in 2003 and 2004, and the prevalence ranged from 37.0 to 53.9%, respectively.