Description of a New Blood-fluke, \u3ci\u3eCruoricola lates\u3c/i\u3e n. g., n. sp. (Digenea: Sanguinicolidae), from Sea-bass \u3ci\u3eLates calcarifer\u3c/i\u3e (Bloch, 1790) (Centropomidae)

A new blood-fluke, Cruoricola lates n. g., n. sp., is described from sea-bass Lates calcarifer cultured in Malaysia. It is also found in Thailand and Australia. All fish examined over 15 cm in length were infected in the type-locality. This sanguinicolid is differentiated from other genera by the spherical seminal vesicle; the large, single testis extending beyond the intestinal caeca; the medial, bi-lobed ovary; and the single column of submarginal, laterally directed, evenly spaced spines. It has separate genital pores which are close together. Adults are found predominantly in the mesenteric venules of the venous circulation. Juveniles are commonest in the caudal kidney

First detection of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in wild mud crab Scylla spp. (de Haan, 1883) from Setiu Wetlands, Malaysia

In this study, tissue samples from 90 wild mud crabs (Scylla spp. including S. olivacea, S. Tranquebarica, and S. paramamosain) were collected during pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon in the Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu, Malaysia. The tissue samples were screened for the presence of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) by PCR. This study was conducted to detect the presence or absence of WSSV in wild Scylla spp. from the Setiu Wetlands at different times of sampling. WSSV DNA was detected in 36% of the mud crabs. The DNA sequence of a 941 bp genome region amplified from a crab by PCR was identified to be most similar (99% nucleotide sequence, 98% amino acid sequence) to a WSSV strain detected in Mexico (KU216744.1) and Taiwan WSSV 419 strain (AY850066.1). The data indicated that mud crabs in the Setiu Wetlands might act as a WSSV reservoir of risk to shrimp aquaculture. Our findings are the first detection of WSSV from wild mud crabs, Scylla spp. in the Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu, Malaysia

Heavy metals content in Paraphilometroides nemipteri from South China Sea may influence level of glutathione and P38 protein expression

Numerous studies have shown that parasites potentially become bio-accumulators for heavy metals. The heavy metals content in parasite-infected fish was reported to be lower compared to the parasite non-infected fish. Evaluation of heavy metal content in Nemipterus peronii and Paraphilometroides nemipteri was performed using ICP-OES. Our result has shown that arsenic was the most abundance heavy metal content in muscle N. peronii and P. nemipteri, suggesting that the parasite has the ability to accumulate heavy metals. Heavy metals were reported to induce oxidative stress where glutathione and p38 protein may be involved. Thus, expression of the p38 protein was determined using western blot technique and glutathione content was measured fluorometrically. The p38 expression in P. nemipteri of Pulau Kambing was higher compared to P. nemipteri of Besut has shown that the parasite may exposed to stress. Glutathione content showed no significant changes due to detoxification mechanism occurred in the parasite. In this study, we could conclude that P. nemipteri could be a bio-accumulator, whereas p38 protein and glutathione as indicator of stress level in the parasite that exposed to the heavy metals

Henneguya (Cnidaria: Myxosporea: Myxobolidae) infections of cultured barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Perciformes: Latidae) in an estuarine wetlands system of Malaysia: description of Henneguya setiuensis n. sp., Henneguya voronini n. sp. and Henneguya calcarifer n. sp.

Examination of 35 barramundi (Lates calcarifer) from aquaculture cages in Setiu Wetland, Malaysia, revealed a single fish infected with three Henneguya spp. (Cnidaria: Myxosporea). Characterization of the infections using tissue tropism, myxospore morphology and morphometry and 18S rDNA sequencing supported description of three new species: Henneguya setiuensis n. sp., Henneguya voronini n. sp. and H. calcarifer n. sp. Myxospores of all three species had typical Henneguya morphology, with two polar capsules in the plane of the suture, an oval spore body, smooth valve cell surfaces, and two caudal appendages. Spores were morphometrically similar, and many dimensions overlapped, but H. voronini n. sp. had shorter caudal appendages compared with H. calcarifer n. sp. and H. setiuensis n. sp. Gross tissue tropism distinguished the muscle parasite H. calcarifer n. sp. from gill parasites H. setiuensis n. sp. and H. voronini n. sp.; and these latter two species were further separable by fine-scale location of developing plasmodia, which were intralamellar for H. setiuensis n. sp. and basal to the filaments for H. voronini n. sp. small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences distinguished all three species: the two gill species H. setiuensis n. sp. and H voronini n. sp. were only 88% similar (over 1708 bp), whereas the muscle species H. calcarifer n. sp. was most similar to H. voronini n. sp. (98% over 1696 bp). None of the three novel species was more than 90% similar to any known myxosporean sequence in GenBank. Low infection prevalence of these myxosporeans and lack of obvious tissue pathology from developing plasmodia suggested none of these parasites are currently a problem for barramundi culture in Setiu Wetland; however additional surveys of fish, particularly at different times of the year, would be informative for better risk assessment

Description of Goussia kuehae n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) infecting the Asian seabass, Lates calcarifer (Bloch)(Perciformes: Latidae), cultured in Malaysian fish farms

Culturing fishes in marine cages is a rapidly developing area of marine aquaculture. The Asian seabass Lates calcarifer (Bloch) is a fast growing good quality fish that is readily cultured in intensive systems in the South Asian region and in Malaysia in particular. Although several papers have been published to date on viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal organisms causing diseases in the Asian seabass, the occurrence of a coccidian infection in this species has only recently been recorded. We collected sporulated and unsporulated oo¨cysts of a new species of Goussia Labbe´, 1986, from the mucus covering the epithelium of the intestine of L. calcarifer. This paper provides a description of Goussia kuehae n. sp. Sporulated oo¨cysts of this species are ellipsoidal, 37–40 lm in length and 28–30 lm in width. The ellipsoidal sporocysts are relatively small, 15.2–17 9 5.7–8 lm, and located loosely in the oo¨cyst. There are residual bodies both in the oo¨cysts and the sporocysts. Goussia kuehae n. sp. differs from all known species of Goussia in the large size of the oo¨cysts and in having two types of oo¨cyst residuum

Tahap Penggunaan Bahan Bantu Mengajar Dalam Kalangan Bakal Guru Fizik Semasa Latihan Mengajar

Tahap penggunaan bahan bantu mengajar (BBM) dalam kalangan bakal guru Fizik telah menarik perhatian ramai pengkaji. Kajian ini dijalankan untuk menilai tahap penggunaan bahan bantu mengajar dalam kalangan bakal guru Fizik dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran (P&P) semasa Latihan Mengajar (LM). Kajian ini hanya melibatkan dua aspek penggunaan BBM iaitu kemahiran penggunaan dan kepentingan penggunaan BBM. Seramai 38 orang, 12 orang lelaki dan 26 orang perempuan pelajar tahun empat daripada dua program pengajian Fizik terlibat sebagai peserta kajian ini. Dua pembolehubah bebas digunakan dalam kajian ini iaitu program pengajian dan jantina. Reka bentuk kajian adalah melalui kaedah tinjauan dan alat kajian yang digunakan adalah Soal Selidik Tahap Penggunaan Bahan Bantu Mengajar Dalam Mata Pelajaran Fizik yang terdiri daripada 10 item pilihan kekerapan dan 30 item pilihan skala Likert serta satu soalan terbuka. Kebolehpercayaan alat kajian ini ialah .86. Analisis Statistik deskriptif dalam bentuk kekerapan, peratus, min, sisihan lazim, markat maksimum dan markat minimum digunakan untuk menganalisis data. Secara keseluruhannya, tahap penggunaan BBM dalam kalangan bakal guru Fizik adalah tinggi. Dapatan kajian juga mernunjukkan tiada perbezaan tahap penggunaan BBM merentas program pengajian dan jantina iaitu masing-masing pada tahap yang tinggi. Kesimpulannya, usaha untuk meningkatkan tahap penggunaan BBM dalam kalangan bakal guru Fizik boleh dipergiatkan lagi untuk mencapai matlamat pembelajaran yang berkesan