Bonamia

Abstract: Bonamia sp. is a pathogenic parasite that occurs in the haemocytes of dredge oysters Ostrea chilensis Philippi in New Zealand. Ultrastructurally it resembles other haplosporidians in the possession of haplosporosomes, haplosporogenesis, persistence of mitotic microtubules during interphase and of the nuclear envelope during mitosis, and occurrence of a diplokaryotic or multi-nucleate plasmodial stage. Another stage containing a large vacuole derived from enlargement of 1 or more mitochondria has not previously been described from other haplosporidians. It most closely resembles B. ostreae Pichot et al., 1979, which parasitises and is pathogenic in haemocytes of European flat oysters, O. edulis. However, B. ostreae is smaller and denser, and has fewer lipoid bodies and haplosporosomes. We have nearly completely sequenced the small ribosomal gene of the organism from O. chilensis. Initial comparisons of these sequences with those of other protozoans showed similarities to B. ostreae. Polymorphism within Bonamia sp. was confirmed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. On the basis of ultrastructural and molecular considerations it is proposed that this organism be named Bonamia exitiosus sp. nov.

Abstract: Examination of the oyster Ostreola equestris as a potential reservoir host for a species of Bonamia discovered in Crassostrea ariakensis in North Carolina (NC), USA, revealed a second novel Bonamia sp. Histopathology, electron microscopy, and molecular phylogenetic analysis support the designation of a new parasite species, Bonamia perspora n. sp., which is the first Bonamia species shown to produce a typical haplosporidian spore with an orifice and hinged operculum. Spores were confirmed to be from B. perspora by fluorescent in situ hybridization. Bonamia perspora was found at Morehead City and Wilmington, NC, with an overall prevalence of 1.4% (31/2,144). Uninucleate, plasmodial, and sporogonic stages occurred almost exclusively in connective tissues; uninucleate stages (2-6 microm) were rarely observed in hemocytes. Spores were 4.3-6.4 microm in length. Ultrastructurally, uninucleate, diplokaryotic, and plasmodial stages resembled those of other spore-forming haplosporidians, but few haplosporosomes were present, and plasmodia were small. Spore ornamentation consisted of spore wall-derived, thin, flat ribbons that emerged haphazardly around the spore, and which terminated in what appeared to be four-pronged caps. Number of ribbons per spore ranged from 15 to 30, and their length ranged from 1.0 to 3.4 microm. Parsimony analysis identified B. perspora as a sister species to Bonamia ostreae.