Amyloodinium ocellatum

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Figure 1. Image credit: Amyloodiniumocellatum.

Classification

Eukaryota; Myzozoa; Dinophyceae; Blastodiniales; Oodiniaceae

Species

NCBI: [1]

Oodinium ocellatum

Description and Significance

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. This parasite is a major issue because it can cause lots of economic problems, especially in fish farming sites where the filtration and water quality are poor because this organism can quickly spread and cause high death in several hours.

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.

Amyloodinium ocellatum attaches to hosts using a rhizoid root structure. It's an obligate parasite, so it needs the host to survive to complete it's life cycle. It can be transmitted through direct contact, or by contaminated water sources.

Ecology and Pathogenesis

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

[Sample reference] Takai, K., Sugai, A., Itoh, T., and Horikoshi, K. "Palaeococcus ferrophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a barophilic, hyperthermophilic archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2000. Volume 50. p. 489-500.

Author

Page authored by __Trey Thigpen___, student of Prof. Bradley Tolar at UNC Wilmington.