Overwintering of the parasitic dinoflagellate Hematodinium perezi in dredged blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) from Wachapreague Creek, Virginia

Abstract

Parasitic dinoflagellates in the genus Hematodinium cause disease and mortality in several commercially important marine decapod crustaceans. One species, Hematodinium perezi, occurs in blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, along the eastern seaboard and Gulf coast of the USA. The parasite infects blue crabs, other decapods, and amphipods in the high salinity waters of coastal bays. Epizootics of the parasite often reach prevalence levels of 75–80% during outbreaks with diseased crabs dying from the infection. Prevalence of the parasite is bimodal, with a minor peak in late spring or summer, and a major peak in fall, and declining rapidly to nearly zero in late November and December. The rapid decline in infections in the late fall brings up the question of whether the parasite overwinters in crabs or whether it uses an unidentified resting stage, such as a cyst. We report observations on the prevalence of the parasite from winter dredge surveys undertaken in 2011 and 2012. Crabs were examined via hemolymph smears, histology, and PCR diagnosis for the presence of H. perezi and other pathogens. Active infections were observed from January through March in 2011 and 2012, indicating the parasite can overwinter in blue crabs. However, several crabs that were positive by PCR had presumptive effete infections that were difficult to diagnose in histological slides and hemolymph smears. These infections did not appear to be active and may have been in subsidence. Dredged crabs with light and moderate active infections were held at 15°C to determine if the parasite was capable of rapid progression. In 8 cases, infections exhibited logarithmic growth progressing rapidly over 8–12days. We present evidence that overwintering of H. perezi occurs in the blue crab hosts, that infections are capable of responding rapidly to increases in temperatures, and that overwintering provides a reservoir of infected animals for transmission to occur in the spring.