Research Article: Molecular identification, phylogenetic analysis and histopathological evaluation of gill fungal infection in some ornamental fish: First report and new species

Among infectious pathogens, fungal and fungal like organisms cause the remarkable social and economic impacts on ornamental farmers. Some freshwater ornamental fishes including the cardinal Carassius auratus, Green Terror Cichlids (Andinoacara rivulatus), the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), the Koi (Cyprinus rubrofuscus) with typical signs of severe respiratory symptoms were prepared from a large commercial breeding centers ornamental fish shops in Tehran, Iran. The gill samples were taken and laboratory evaluations carried out. Accordingly, Culturing of fungal isolates, sequencing and molecular identification, pathogenicity as well as gross and microscopic evaluations were also carried out. Four isolated with NCBI-accession numbers of OL891804, OL912959, OL990026 and OL912961, respectivelyas Fungal sp., Penicillium sp., Fungal sp. and Candida sp. were reported and registered in Genebank. Eventually, the Ornamental fish diseases of Tehran ornamental fish centers where a few fish including the cardinal (C. auratus), Green Terror Cichlids (A. rivulatus), the guppy (P. reticulata) and the Koi (C. rubrofuscus), were suffering from gill disorders had been infected with Penicillium crustosum, Alternaria alternata, Filobasidium like organism, Candida zeylanoides, respectively.