Amyloodinium ocellatum
Classification
Eukaryota; Myzozoa; Dinophyceae; Blastodiniales; Oodiniaceae
Species
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NCBI: [1] |
Oodinium ocellatum
Description and Significance
Describe the appearance, habitat, etc. of the organism, and why you think it is important.
Amyloodinium ocellatum (also commonly known as marine velvet) is a dinoflagellate. It's an obligate parasite of many marine fish. Amyloodinium ocellatum creates a powdery and/or velvety appearance on species. The parasite is typically found in saltwater and brackish environments but can withstand a wide variety of water temperatures and salinities.
Genome Structure
Describe the size and content of the genome. How many chromosomes? Circular or linear? Other interesting features? What is known about its sequence?
It's mean size has been reported as 61 x 50 m, which is about 7 to 8 times larger than a red blood cell. The parasite is oval/pear-shaped.
Cell Structure, Metabolism and Life Cycle
Interesting features of cell structure; how it gains energy; what important molecules it produces.
Ecology and Pathogenesis
Habitat; symbiosis; biogeochemical significance; contributions to environment.
If relevant, how does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.
Amyloodinium ocellatum is present in marine and brackish water environments, it infects animal (fish) hosts. It can infect a variety of fish in two ways, one is by attaching to the gills and the other is by attaching to the skin of the fish. Infected hosts display a variety of symptoms including scratching on objects, swimming irregularly and losing balance. It causes inflammation, hemorrhages, hyperplasia, anoxia, suffocation, and gill necrosis. Typically host death occurs within 12-48 hours of being infected and the mortality rate is roughly 100%.
References
Author
Page authored by __Trey Thigpen___, student of Prof. Bradley Tolar at UNC Wilmington.
