Sphaerothecum destruens

Sphaerothecum destruens
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukarya
(unranked)	Opisthokonta
(unranked)	Choanozoa or Holozoa
Class:	Mesomycetozoea
Order:	Dermocystida
Family:	Rhinosporideaceae
Genus:	Sphaerothecum
Species:	S. destruens
Binomial name
Sphaerothecum destruens Arkush et al., 2003

Sphaerothecum destruens (the rosette agent) is a parasite of fish.^[1][2] It was first discovered in the United States in association with invasive species including topmouth gudgeon but was found to be the causative agent of a disease in the UK affecting salmonid species such as Atlantic salmon and brown trout. It is thought to pose more of a risk in Europe than in the USA as native species there are more susceptible to the parasite. The disease causes high rates of morbidity and mortality in a number of different salmonid species and can also infect other UK freshwater fish such as bream, carp and roach.^[3] The genus Sphaerothecum is closely related to the genera Dermocystidium and Rhinosporidium.^[2]

References

1. M. A. Ragan, C. L. Goggin, R. J. Cawthorn, L. Cerenius, A. V. Jamieson, S. M. Plourde, T. G. Rand, K. Söderhäll & R. R. Gutell (October 1996). "A novel clade of protistan parasites near the animal-fungal divergence". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 93 (21): 11907–11912. doi:10.1073/pnas.93.21.11907. PMC 38157. PMID 8876236.
2. Kristen D. Arkush, Leonel Mendoza, Mark A. Adkison & Ronald P. Hedrick (2003). "Observations on the life stages of Sphaerothecum destruens n. g., n. sp., a mesomycetozoean fish pathogen formerly referred to as the rosette agent". Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 50 (6): 430–438. doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.2003.tb00269.x. PMID 14733435.
3. "Deadly parasite could endanger salmon and trout populations in U.K.". Science Daily. June 20, 2009.