Journal Article
The presence of kudoid cysts (Multivalvulida, Myxosporea, Myxozoa) in commercial marine fish for human
consumption is detected by the naked eye only occasionally, despite the belief that kudoid parasitism in such edible
fish is rather common. In the present study, we morphologically and genetically characterized kudoid infection in a
flathead (Platycephalus sp.) fished in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan, off Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and a Japanese
jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) fished in the Sea of Japan, off Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The kudoid
species forming white cysts in the musculature of the aforementioned fish were Kudoa iwatai and Kudoa trachuri,
respectively. We report here, for the first time, the sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer regions of K.
iwatai and K. trachuri. Their usability for analyses of intraspecific variation is briefly discussed.