Henneguya zschokkei (Myxozoa) infection in cultured whitefish: Age-dependence, seasonality and distribution within host

Abstract Whitefish ( Coregonus lavaretus ) is an important species for European fisheries and aquaculture. Recently, the myxosporean Henneguya zschokkei has been observed to infect the muscles of whitefish in fish farms. Plasmodia of H. zschokkei prevent marketing of the fillet and cause economic losses. The factors associated with occurrence of the parasite in fish farms have not been investigated previously. We studied age-dependence, seasonality, and within-host distribution of H. zschokkei plasmodia in farmed whitefish by examining a total of 1599 fish. Distribution of plasmodia within the fish was not uniform. When the fillet was divided into parts, the number of plasmodia was positive…