A new myxozoan from feral goldfish (Carassius auratus)

In February 2004, a mass die-off of common goldfish Carassius auratus L., presumptively caused by bacterial coldwater disease (Flavobacterium psychrophilum), occurred at Fern Ridge Reservoir, Oregon. A range of size classes was affected, but all mature fish were female and all fish were infected with a single myxozoan, Chloromyxum auratum n. sp. No histological changes were observed associated with the parasite. Infection was represented by mictosporic plasmodia and free-floating spores in the gall bladder. Parasite spores were nearly spherical, 13.6 mu m long X 12.6 mu m wide X 13.1 mu m thick, and possessed 4 equal-sized polar capsules. Spores had a coglike appearance in apical view because of distinct ridges 2.1 mu m high protruding from the valve cells. There were 6-9 extrasutural ridges per valve (15-20 ridges per spore), aligned along the longitudinal axis. with some branching, and convergence at both poles. Morphologically, spores identified most closely with Chloromyxum cristatum Leger, 1906; however, 18S rDNA sequence data indicated only 97.5% similarity over 2,076 bp with Chloromyxum cyprini, the only synonym of C. cristatum for which DNA data are available; additional sequence data may reveal the other synonyms to be distinct species. This is the first record of a species of Chloromyxum from goldfish.