Philasterides dicentrarchi

Philasterides dicentrarchi is a marine protozoan ciliate that was first identified in 1995 after being isolated from infected European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) reared in France.

[1] The species was also identified as the causative agent of outbreaks of scuticociliatosis that occurred between summer 1999 and spring 2000 in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) cultivated in the Atlantic Ocean (Galicia, Northwest Spain).

Some of these ciliates, characterized by possessing a scutica (a transient kinetosomal structure that is present during stomatogenesis), can behave as endoparasites and are capable of producing serious infections in a wide variety of vertebrates, especially fish, and invertebrates such as crustaceans and echinoderms.

[18] Although the route of entry to the host is unknown, the findings of experimental infection studies suggest that the ciliate probably gains access through lesions in the gills and/or the skin.

However, the addition of disinfectants such as formalin, hydrogen peroxide and Jenoclean (a mixture of Atacama extract 97%-Zeolites- and citric acid 3%) to seawater has been demonstrated to kill the ciliates.

[32] Research on Philasterides dicentrarchi, which includes aspects of cell biology, diagnostics, interactions with the host immune system, search for new treatments, development of vaccines or risk analysis, is being carried out under the EU funded Horizon2020 Project ParaFishControl.