Abstract
Hematodinium is a single-celled parasite that infects many of the UK s most commercially and ecologically important crustacean species. In particular, the parasite poses a serious threat to stocks of the langoustine Nephrops norvegicus, a crustacean most commonly used in the production of scampi. Langoustine is an extremely valuable species to UK fisheries, with the market currently worth >£600 million. Because Hematodinium-associated disease can cause high death rates amongst crustacean stocks the biology of the parasite within the crustacean tissues and blood has been well studied. Surprisingly, however, little is known about the life cycle of the parasite when it leaves the infected crustaceans. Every spring, during peak infection, millions of minute Hematodinium spores (one hundredth of a millimeter in size) are released into the seawater from the gills of dying crustaceans. Scientists have speculated as to what might happen to the spores once released: do they feed on prey in the seawater, do they infect other marine organisms, or do they form cysts within the seabed? These questions currently remain unanswered. Within this project, we propose to unravel the present mysteries surrounding the life cycle of Hematodinium. Following release from the crustaceans, we will use molecular probes to search for Hematodinium DNA in the seawater and within the seabed. We will also check whether Hematodinium infects other marine organisms in addition to its known crustacean hosts. Better knowledge of this parasite s life cycle outside of the crustaceans will aid in the design of improved control measures to protect ecologically and commercially important marine species against Hematodinium-associated disease.
United Kingdom