Abstract
Dikerogammarus haemobaphes, the ‘demon shrimp’, is an amphipod native to the Ponto-Caspian region.
This species invaded the UK in 2012 and has become widely established. Dikerogammarus haemobaphes
has the potential to introduce non-native pathogens into the UK, creating a potential threat to native
fauna. This study describes a novel species of microsporidian parasite infecting 72.8% of invasive D. haemobaphes
located in the River Trent, UK. The microsporidium infection was systemic throughout the
host; mainly targeting the sarcolemma of muscle tissues. Electron microscopy revealed this parasite to
be diplokaryotic and have 7–9 turns of the polar filament. The microsporidium is placed into the
‘Cucumispora’ genus based on host histopathology, fine detail parasite ultrastructure, a highly similar
life-cycle and SSU rDNA sequence phylogeny. Using this data this novel microsporidian species is named
Cucumispora ornata, where ‘ornata’ refers to the external beading present on the mature spore stage of
this organism. Alongside a taxonomic discussion, the presence of a novel Cucumispora sp. in the United
Kingdom is discussed and related to the potential control of invasive Dikerogammarus spp. in the UK
and the health of native species which may come into contact with this parasite.
This species invaded the UK in 2012 and has become widely established. Dikerogammarus haemobaphes
has the potential to introduce non-native pathogens into the UK, creating a potential threat to native
fauna. This study describes a novel species of microsporidian parasite infecting 72.8% of invasive D. haemobaphes
located in the River Trent, UK. The microsporidium infection was systemic throughout the
host; mainly targeting the sarcolemma of muscle tissues. Electron microscopy revealed this parasite to
be diplokaryotic and have 7–9 turns of the polar filament. The microsporidium is placed into the
‘Cucumispora’ genus based on host histopathology, fine detail parasite ultrastructure, a highly similar
life-cycle and SSU rDNA sequence phylogeny. Using this data this novel microsporidian species is named
Cucumispora ornata, where ‘ornata’ refers to the external beading present on the mature spore stage of
this organism. Alongside a taxonomic discussion, the presence of a novel Cucumispora sp. in the United
Kingdom is discussed and related to the potential control of invasive Dikerogammarus spp. in the UK
and the health of native species which may come into contact with this parasite.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 22-30 |
| Journal | Journal of Invertebrate Pathology |
| Volume | 128 |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |