[3] Hematodinium is a harmful parasitic dinoflagellate in marine decapod crustaceans, often dwelling in the hemolymph of host organisms.
[8] These crustacean taxa include crabs, lobsters, crayfish, prawns, and shrimp – all commercially important food sources for many countries.
Nonetheless, future discoveries of similar diseases in other crabs have been linked back to H. perezi since Chatton and Poisson's first sighting.
Besides its southern hemispheric location, the trophont size as well as the presence of rounded plasmodial stages differed between parasitic groups.
[6] All known species are found in crustacean hosts, have hemolymph-dwelling filamentous plasmodial stages, intrusive amoeboid trophont infections, and a dinokaryon.
In some cases, new parasite discoveries are incorrectly identified as H. perezi due to their close resemblance to the type species.
It is anticipated that the geographical spread of Hematodinium will grow and reach various other aquatic regions globally due to oceanic currents, host movements, and habitat expansions, as well as transportation vessels.
Affected mud crabs were thinner than usual, had white muscle mass, and had abnormal milky liquids below the carapace.
In 2008, a disastrous Hematodinium infection epidemic shook ridgetail white prawn (E. carinicauda) aquacultures in Zhoushan.
[16] Scientists found that king crab hemolymphs developed a cream color following parasite acquisition.
[17] Vast numbers of Hematodinium parasites ranging from different vegetative life stages were present in all sampled crab tissues.
Scientists speculate that spore ingestion is the main transmission pathway in which crustacean hosts acquire Hematodinium parasites.
In contrast, studies concerning hosts Portunus pelagicus and Scylla serrata suggest a faster development rate of Hematodinium parasites.
[citation needed] One particular species with a known life cycle is the unnamed Hematodinium parasite taken from host Nephrops norvegicus.
Appleton and Vickerman's in vitro experiments describe the fusion of macrodinospores and microdinospores to produce filamentous trophonts that form colonies known as 'Gorgonlocks.'
Sporogenesis follows in which sporoblasts develop into macro- and microspores, coming full circle with the life cycle.
Eventually, the amoeboid trophonts stop for a final fission division, as a result of high cellular densities.
They are economically important worldwide, therefore a single epidemic can result in a monetary loss starting at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
[17] Moreover, the state of Virginia faces an annual $500k to $1 million deficit as a result of unlisted declines in crustacean Callinectes sapidus populations during summer and autumn in highly saline waters.
These include visual examination, wet smears, neutral red staining, histology, and molecular detection.
on fisheries can be justified by the possible development of more versatile scientific methods to identify other 'at risk' crustacean populations.