Are Juvenile Manila Clam Ruditapes philippinarum Free from Perkinsus olseni Infection in Korean Waters?

As a suspension feeder, Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum (A. Adams and Reeve 1850) plays a crucial role in the coastal soft bottom ecosystem in the temperate region, linking the benthic primary production to the upper trophic level. Manila clam density on tidal flats on the west coast of Korea has been declining for the past decades, and infection by the protozoan parasite Perkinsus olseni (Lester and Davis 1981) is one of the major causes for the decline. Recent studies carried out in Japan revealed that P. olseni induces mortalities of the juveniles in their natural habitats, which may lead to the recruitment failure and subsequent decline in the clam population. In this study, we surveyed P. olseni infection in juvenile Manila clam occurring on two tidal flats on the Taean coast. Ray’s fluid thioglycollate medium assay (RFTM) revealed that P. olseni infection was not limited to the adult clams, and the juvenile and small-sized clams are also infected by P. olseni. As young as four-month-old juveniles from Jugyo tidal flat were infected by P. olseni, with the prevalence (i.e., percentage of the infected individuals) of 75.0% and the intensity of 7.77 × 105 cells g−1 wet tissue weight (WT). The adult Manila clams (SL > 30 mm) from Jugyo tidal flat showed a prevalence of 96.0%, and the intensity as 5.80 × 10 cells g−1 WT. The observed infection prevalence and intensity of the juvenile are somewhat comparable to those of the adult clams, suggesting that a high level of P. olseni infection in the juveniles may lead to mortality and a long term decline in the clam population density.