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Animal Sciences Commons

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William & Mary

VIMS Articles

2011

Parasitic Dinoflagellate; Chionoecetes-Bairdi; Disease; Opilio; Newfoundland; Infections; Canada; Bay; Prevalence; Estuary

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Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences

Lack Of Transmission Of Hematodinium Sp In The Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Through Cannibalism, Cw Li, Kn Wheeler, Jeffrey D. Shields Jan 2011

Lack Of Transmission Of Hematodinium Sp In The Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Through Cannibalism, Cw Li, Kn Wheeler, Jeffrey D. Shields

VIMS Articles

Hematodinium spp. are parasitic dinoflagellates of marine crustaceans. Outbreaks of Hematodinium sp. have impacted commercial landings of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus in the coastal bays of Virginia and Maryland (USA), with seasonal peaks in prevalence reaching 85%. The life cycle and transmission routes of the parasite in blue crabs are poorly understood. Cannibalism and waterborne transmission may be routes of transmission, although little conclusive evidence has been reported for these modes. We examined cannibalism as a route by a series of experiments wherein we repeatedly fed adult and juvenile crabs the tissues of crabs infected with Hematodinium. In each …