Myxobolus infections of common carp ( Cyprinus carpio ) in Syrian fish farms

Abstract

During a survey on Myxobolus infection of pond-cultured common carp in Syria three Myxobolus spp. were found. Myxobolus dispar infected the gill arteries, forming large elongated plasmodia in the gill filaments. The plasmodia of M. basilamellaris were located in the gill arches at the base of the filaments. Elongated filiform plasmodia of M. encephalicus were found in the blood vessels of the brain. Despite the common occurrence of the above parasites, no disease symptoms were observed in the infected fish specimens. This is the first report on myxosporean infection of fish from Syrian waters.