Host‐parasite interaction of the myxosporeans Kudoa paniformis Kabata & Whitaker, 1981 and Kudoa thyrsites (Gilchrist, 1924) in the muscle of Pacific whiting, Merluccius productus (Ayres): an ultrastructural study

.Kudoa paniformis and Kudoa thyrsites infect the muscle of Pacific whiting, Merluccius productus , and K. paniformis is known to cause a softened muscle texture after death of the fish. Ultrastructural studies were conducted on the host‐parasite interaction between Pacific whiting and these myxosporeans at two stages of their infection: (1) unencapsulated plasmodia that contained mature and developing spores, and (2) encapsulated plasmodia that contained deteriorating spores. Unencapsulated plasmodia of both species had a microvillar border that was closely associated with the host muscle. Species‐specific characteristics included the presence of multi‐vesicular bodies in plasmodia of K. paniformis whereas the cytoplasm of K. thyrsites plasmodia contained an array of vesicles, microfilaments and microtubules. Differences in the predominant organelles of the plasmodia may be related to the production of different proteolytic enzymes by each species. A host response became apparent only after a plasmodium had replaced the width of an infected muscle fibre. At that time, the plasmodia of both species became encapsulated by a wall of fibroblast‐like cells that were connected by numerous desmosomes. Occasional phagocytes were located at the edge of these capsules. Ultrastructural evidence suggests that the encapsulated plasmodia were not proteolytically active. Melanin deposition did not occur. However, encapsulated plasmodia with deteriorating spores contained electron‐dense breakdown products.