h ' '' f MASGC-B-78-001 c. 3 A MARINE MALADIES? Worms, Germs, and Other Symbionts From the Northern Gulf of Mexico CRCDU7M COPY Sea Grant Depositor NATIONAL SEA GRANT DEPOSITORY \ PELL LIBRARY BUILDING URI NA8RAGANSETT BAY CAMPUS % NARRAGANSETT. Rl 02882 Robin M. Overstreet r ii MISSISSIPPI—ALABAMA SEA GRANT CONSORTIUM MASGP—78—021 MARINE MALADIES? Worms, Germs, and Other Symbionts From the Northern Gulf of Mexico by Robin M. Overstreet Gulf Coast Research Laboratory Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39564 This study was conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA, Office of Sea Grant, under Grant No. 04-7-158-44017 and National Marine Fisheries Service, under PL 88-309, Project No. 2-262-R. TheMississippi-AlabamaSea Grant Consortium furnish ed all of the publication costs. The U.S. Government is authorized to produceand distribute reprints for governmental purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation that may appear hereon. Copyright© 1978by Mississippi-Alabama Sea Gram Consortium and R.M. Overstrect All rights reserved. No pari of this book may be reproduced in any manner without permission from the author. Primed by Blossman Printing, Inc.. Ocean Springs, Mississippi CONTENTS PREFACE 1 INTRODUCTION TO SYMBIOSIS 2 INVERTEBRATES AS HOSTS 5 THE AMERICAN OYSTER 5 Public Health Aspects 6 Dcrmo 7 Other Symbionts and Diseases 8 Shell-Burrowing Symbionts II Fouling Organisms and Predators 13 THE BLUE CRAB 15 Protozoans and Microbes 15 Mclazoans and their I lypeiparasites 18 Misiellaneous Microbes and Protozoans 25 PENAEID SHRIMPS 28 Microbial Diseases 28 Protozoan Infections 32 Helminths 34 Miscellaneous Diseases and Attached Organisms 38 GRASS SHRIMP 10 Protozoans 41 Metazoans 42 VERTEBRATES AS HOSTS 46 FISHES 16 Microbes 47 Protozoans in General 50 Flagellates 50 Amoebas 5- Sporozoans 52 Microsporidans 53 Myxosporidans 54 Ciliates 55 Tapeworms Jl Monogenean Flukes <" Digenean Flukes &/ Roundworms ,- Thorny-headetl Worms 79 Crustaceans 80 MISCELLANEOUS HOSTS 85 The American Alligator 85 Birds 86 Marine Mammals 88 MISCELLANEOUS SYMBIONTS 89 FISH-KILLS AND MISCELLANEOUS DISEASES 92 TECHNICAL ASPECTS 96 SYMBIOSIS 96 THE AMERICAN OYSTER 98 THE BLUE CRAB 101 PENAEID SHRIMPS 104 GRASS SHRIMP 107 FISHES 107 Microbes 108 Protozoans 108 Cestodes Ill Monogeneans 112 Digeneans 113 Nematodes 114 Acanthocephalans 114 Crustaceans 115 MISCELLANEOUS HOSTS 116 The American Alligator 116 Birds 116 Marine Mammals 118 MISCELLANEOUS SYMBIONTS 118 FISH-KILLS AND MISCELLANEOUS DISEASES 119 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 121 LITERATURE CITED 122 GLOSSARY 137 Preface 1 PREFACE sideration. An effort has been made to define scientific terminology either in the textor in This guidebook will inform thosecurious a glossary at the end of the guide.Terms pre about parasites and other symbionts as sented in the glossary are indicated by an sociated with marine and estuarine hosts in asterisk (*) the first and occasionally other the northern Gulf of Mexico. Designed as a times they are used. Diagrams, illustrations, teaching aid for students, fishermen, sea photographs, and legends provide further food consumers, beachcombers, and even assistance. parasitologists, it should allow for better understanding and appreciation of several Latin names have been included as well of the numerous shellfish and finfish sym as common names for three reasons. First, bionts. (A symbiotic organism is one that some organisms have no common name. Second, a specific common name may refer interacts with the host in or on which it lives.) Even though most selected examples to more than one animal or one animal may are from Mississippi and other regions a- have several common names. When most long the northern Gulf, the same or related people talk about the blue crab, they pro species also occur along the Atlantic sea bably talk about Callinectes sapidus, but board and elsewhere; present information they might also knowingly orunknowingly should apply similarly for several butnotall be referring to Callinectes similis, Callin of those cases. Some symbiontssignificantly ectes omatus, or a variety of other related affect the size and production of a fishery crabs. On the other hand, residents of and consumption of the product, whereas Mississippi call the spotted seatrout (Cyno- scion nebulosus) a speck or speckled trout others mostly stimulate environmental or whereas people elsewhere may call it or a academic interests. In the natural environ related species by the name weakfish, ment, parasitic relationships seldom result squeteague, or any of several others. Third, in harm to the host. Harm, however, often knowing a Latin name often allows one to becomes apparent when animals are con more easily find other literature about the centrated and confined as they are during organism. culture or when they are otherwise stressed. This guide will discuss some of those cases. A binomial name, that is the two-compo This guidebook is divided into sections nent Latinized name of an organism, con discussing the various hosts of parasites. sists of the capitalized generic name and the Primary headings refer to basic host-types. noncapitalized specific name. Oneor several The reader, however, must keep in mind species may occur in a genus, and different that groups of both symbionts and hosts taxonomists, scientists who deal with the overlap. The same parasite may have a nomenclatural problems, may not all agree different stage of its life history infecting a to which genus a given species belongs. shrimp, a fish, and a bird. Consequently, Nevertheless, names allow people to refer to perusal of several sections may help the specific organisms. Some names reflect the reader understand more about the sym animal's characteristics, its locality, or its bionts of any particular host. finder, whereas others are merely fabricated. The guidebook has been written with Readers interested in the hygienic aspects both the student withouta strong biological of eating infected finfishes and shellfishes background and the layman in mind, but it may be comforted by the fact that cooking presents additional separate notes for more destroys all potentially harmful agents in serious readers interested in technical as seafood products from the northern Gulf of pects. That technical section, in the latter Mexico. Perhaps this statement needs some half, directs the reader to referenced scienti qualification. A person could acquire gas fic literature which either presents support tric distress from eating cooked seafood if ing data or reviews the topics under con- staphylococci toxin was present, if contam- 2 Marine Maladies? inalion occurred after cooking, if the pro "symbiosis," "commensalism," and "mu duct was spoiled before cooking, or if tualism." condiments contained salmonellae, shi- "Symbiosis," which means "living to gellae, or some other infectious bacteria. gether," accounts for a variety of long and Also, heavy metals and some other non short term relationships that benefit one or parasitic toxins are not destroyed by both parties. For purposes of simplicity, I cooking. Products infected with parasites consider symbiotic relations to be those spe should not dismay a consumer. Seldom does cialized associations ranging from com one get the opportunity to see some of these mensalism, where neither party is harmed puzzling little invadersl If infected products and both could live without the other, to are cooked, all becomeedible, a few have less mutualism, where both parlies benefit each appeal and flavor, andseveral taste better be other and neither could live without the cause of the added rich, juicy worm nestled other. A true parasite lies in between. Para among the tissue. I am willing to admit, sitism defines a one-way relationship in however, that most people preferring in which one partner, the parasite, depends fected products do not realize that the upon and benefits from the other partner, "flavor bud" is a parasite. the host. The host is usually the larger of any two associates and can be harmed by the parasite. Actually, much overlap in types of relationships exists, and, for most readers, INTRODUCTION TO what happens in a given relationship far SYMBIOSIS surpasses in importance the term someone may want to tag on it. As is the case with many scientific en "Commensalism" means "eating at the deavors, the same concept or item may be same table." A sea anemone attached to the referred to by different terms, and, converse mollusc an shell of a hermit crab derives ly, different concepts or items can be called mobility and scraps of food from the crab the same name. Seldom does one realize that without being metabolically dependent on confusion exists until he progresses into a it. The relationship, however, might not be discussion. What is a parasite? Does it have one sided and may be truly mutual. In some to harm its host? If so, does it have to harm cases, the anemone, by virtue of its stinging all the different hosts in all stages of its life? tentacles, contributes by warding off octo Does it have to be smaller than its host? Can puses or other predators from the crab. The it be the same speciesas the host?Depending degree of benefit to each party depends on on how one prefers to answer the above the species of anemone and crab involved as questions, even a human baby can qualify well as the environmental conditions and as a parasite. Before birth the fetus nourishes the additional organisms which make up itself at the expense of its host (mother) and the community*. In the northern Gulf of releases toxic wastes into that host; occas Mexico, a specific anemone (Calliactis tri ionally at birth, it even causes the host's color) usually attaches to a shell, often of the death. After normal birth, it continues to moon snail, inhabited by a hermit crab suck vital nutrients from the host. From (e.g., Pagurus longicarpus), as illustrated in another viewpoint, even after maturing, Figure 1. that offspring may obtain its well being Some inhabited shells harbor hydroids from its parents or friends at their ex rather than anemones.