Identification of Perkinsus-like parasite in Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum using DNA molecular marker at ITS region

Genomic DNA was extracted from hypnospores of Perkinsus-like parasite of Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum collected at the fishing grounds in Huanghai Sea coast Shicheng Island and East China Sea coast Ningbo, China. The internal transcribed spacer(ITS) in rDNA was PCR-amplified, cloned, sequenced, and compared with that of five Perkinsus species in GenBank. The fragment amplified from DNA of parasite of either Shicheng Island or Ningbo contained 649 bp, including partial ssrRNA(51 bp) and ITS(+5.8 S) (598 bp) regions. The ITS(+5.8S) sequences of Perkinsus-like parasite of both Shicheng Island and Ningbo were all 99% identical to those of Perkinsus atlanticus,and were not more than 95% identical to those of other four Perkinsus species including P. marinus, P. andrewsi, P. qugwadi and P. medierraneus. The ITS (+5.8S) sequence of Perkinsus-like parasite of Shicheng Island was 99% identical to that of Ningbo. These facts about nucleotide sequences suggested that the Perkinsus-like parasite in Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum collected from either the Huanghai Sea coast or the East China Sea coast was P. atlanticus, and might reflect P. adanticus strains of distinct geographic distribution