Diseased Salmon Gills Are Littered With Critters

Amoebic gill disease (AGD) is an important, emerging disease affecting Atlantic salmon aquaculture globally, and adds a remarkable $1.12/kg to the cost of production in Australia. AGD is caused by the parasite Neoparamoeba perurans, however, other amoeba species also colonise the gills of Atlantic salmon. The role that these non-N. perurans amoeba play in AGD, as either secondary invaders, primary pathogens or innocent commensal bystanders, remains unknown.
Previous reports of these accompanying amoeba have been based on gross morphology alone, and are therefore likely to be inaccurate due to amoeba’s plastic morphology. In our latest study published in the European Journal of Protistology we documented the diversity of Amoebozoa colonising the gills of AGD-affected Atlantic salmon using both gross and fine-scale morphological and molecular taxonomic approaches.
In addition to N. perurans, 11 other amoeba species were isolated, and we highlight that this constitutes a far greater diversity of amoebae colonising salmon gills than previously established.
To learn more read the full article at the European Journal of Protistology.

CSIRO Aquaculture contact

Chloe English – PhD Candidate, Health and Production