Occurrence of Glugea hertwigi in Lake Erie Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) and Associated Mortality of Adult Smelt

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Abstract
The occurrence of cysts of Glugea hertwigi, a microsporidian parasite, in Lake Erie rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) has been monitored since 1960 when it was first recorded. Annual sampling has shown that an increasing proportion (up to 87.5% in 1971) of the smelt population has been infected.An unusually severe mortality among adult smelt occurred during early May, 1971, in western and west central Lake Erie. Sampling of dead and obviously stressed smelt revealed that 97.3% of the males and 76.7% of the females were heavily loaded with cysts in the intestines and gonads, respectively. It is suggested that the parasite load contributed to the unusual severity of the normal postspawning mortality.

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