Redescription and pathological effects of myxozoan parasite Thelohanellus ophthalmicus Halder et al., 1983 infecting Glossogobius giuris

Abstract

Myxozoan parasites cause serious diseases and massive destruction of fishes in aquaculture and natural populations. During the present study, Thelohanellus ophthalmicus infecting the skeletal muscle of Glossogobius giuris has been described. The histopathological alterations indicated that the muscle parasite Thelohanellus ophthalmicus is potentially pathogenic to the host fish Glossogobius giuris and high parasite load could compromise body functions. The presence of two types of plasmodia was established during the study. The presence of plasmodia without encapsulation was very rare in myxozoan infection. The multiple plasmodia with single continuous encapsulation were reported for the first time from India. The pathological importance of changes caused by myxozoan parasites greatly depend on the intensity of parasite colonization, the size of plasmodia and the number of spores.