#apodigitiformis — Public Fediverse posts

Scientific Frontline: Massive Caribbean #sea #urchin die-off caused by parasite

An international team of 42 scientists has identified the culprit as #Philaster #apodigitiformis, a unicellular eukaryote that is part of a group of 8,000 species called ciliates.

P. apodigitiformis is a known parasite in fish.
“Rarely are we afforded the opportunity to understand marine disease events in this detail, where we can actually work out a cause of it,” said marine ecologist Ian Hewson, professor of microbiology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and lead author of the study, “A Scuticociliate Causes Mass Mortality of Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean Sea,” which published online April 19 in Science Advances.

Though scientists do not yet know how to treat P. apodigitiformis infections, discovering the parasite’s identity may help them design strategies for maintaining health in Diadema sea urchins that are being raised for restocking efforts across the region, Hewson said.

https://www.sflorg.com/2023/04/mcb04192301.html