For 30 years, the pathogen Haplosporidium nelsoni (MSX) has been causing serious mortalities of eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica in the Delaware and Chesapeake bays. Its life cycle is largely unknown, and methods for control are wanting. Breeding of resistant eastern oyster strains, at this time, offers the best hope for...
Perkinsus marinus is a protozoan parasite that causes a major disease of eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica from Chesapeake Bay south along the Atlantic coast of the USA and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. It is a warm-season disease that kills eastern oysters at temperatures above 20°C. The pathogen requires salinities...
Perkinsus marinus is a warm-season protozoan pathogen (Phylum Apicomplexa) that parasitizes eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica from Chesapeake Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. In years of normal rainfall in Chesapeake Bay, P. marinus is limited by low salinities in the estuaries and is dormant during winter and spring. A few...