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<oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
  <dc:contributor>Eric M. Leis</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Jordan C. Richard</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Rebecca A. Cole</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Rose E. Agbalog</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Joel G. Putnam</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Tony L. Goldberg</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Diane L. Waller</dc:contributor>
  <dc:creator>Susan Knowles</dc:creator>
  <dc:date>2022</dc:date>
  <dc:description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Freshwater mussels of the order Unionida are among the most endangered animal groups globally, but the causes of their population decline are often enigmatic, with little known about the role of disease. In 2018, we collected wild adult pheasantshell (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;Actinonaias pectorosa&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;) and mucket (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;Actinonaias ligamentina&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;) during an epidemiologic survey investigating an ongoing mussel mass mortality event in the Clinch River, Virginia and Tennessee, USA. Histopathology and transmission electron microscopy showed a novel microsporidian parasite primarily infecting the ovary of pheasantshell. Sequencing of the small subunit rRNA gene produced a 1333 bp sequence with the greatest similarity to&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;Pseudonosema cristatellae&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;(AF484694.1; 86.36%; e-value = 0), a microsporidium infecting the freshwater bryozoan (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;Cristatella mucedo&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;). Microsporidia were observed in 65% (17/26) of the examined female pheasantshell (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;A. pectorosa&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;) and in no (0/2) female muckets (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;A. ligamentina&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;) and occurred at mortality and non-mortality sites. Our findings indicate that a novel parasite,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;Microsporidium clinchi&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;n. sp., is present in pheasantshell in the Clinch River, and while likely not a cause of mass mortality, could reduce fecundity and recruitment in this declining population and threaten the success of reintroductions. Surveillance of&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;M. clinchi&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;n. sp. and evaluation of broodstock and their progeny for microsporidia would therefore be prudent.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</dc:description>
  <dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
  <dc:identifier>10.3390/parasitologia2010001</dc:identifier>
  <dc:language>en</dc:language>
  <dc:publisher>MDPI</dc:publisher>
  <dc:title>A novel gonadotropic microsporidian parasite (Microsporidium clinchi n. sp.) infecting a declining population of pheasantshell mussels (Actinonaias pectorosa) (Unioinidae) from the Clinch River, USA</dc:title>
  <dc:type>article</dc:type>
</oai_dc:dc>