Recent (1993) landings of American lobsters (Homarus americanus) were valued at $294 million (Can.) in Canada and $213 million (Can.) in the United States. However, post-harvest losses are estimated at $50-75 million (10-15%) annually. The lobster fishery is one of the few remaining viable tradition...

To study the potential for transmission of Perkinsus karlssoni, an apicomplexan parasite, among bivalve hosts, a long-term laboratory-scale, closed, artificial seawater system for shellfish was designed. Species of shellfish utilised were as follows: bay scallops, Argopecten irradians; blue mussels,...

Two coccidia-free N. scandiaca were fed bradyzoites of S. rauschorum from varying lemmings (Dicrostonyx richardsoni). At necropsy 7 days later zygotes, oocysts in various stages of sporulation, and fully sporulated oocysts were observed only in the lamina propria of the small intestine. Sporogony of...

The etiological agent of 'bumper car' disease in lobsters Homarus americanus is described as a new species of ciliate, Anophryoides haemophila (Scuticociliatida: Orchitophryidae). A. haemophila n. sp. is distinguished from other species in the genus by the curved rectangular oral polykinetid 2, a so...

In 1989, an unidentified protistan parasite, QPX (Quahaug Parasite X), was found in quahaugs Mercenaria mercenaria (Linnaeus, 1758) from a hatchery on Prince Edward Island, Canada, which was suffering extensive mortalities. The parasite was identical to one reported from mass mortalities of wild pop...

Improved rates of in vitro excystation of sporozoites from sporocysts of Sarcocystis capracanis, Sarcocystis cruzi, and Sarcocystis tenella were obtained by pretreating sporocysts with an aqueous sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solution followed by incubation in excysting fluid (EF). After pretreatment ...

Oocysts of Eimeria stigmosa isolated from a wild juvenile lesser snow goose (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) were used in experimental infections of laboratory-reared geese. The structure of oocysts is described; a peculiar bumpy surface and a calyx-like thickening around the micropyle are illustra...

Behaviour and activity levels were measured in varying lemmings experimentally infected with the heteroxenous parasite, Sarcocystis rauschorum to test the hypothesis that the parasite alters behaviour of this intermediate host and thereby increases probability of transmission to the definitive host,...

Crows were intubated with varying doses of sporulated oocysts of I. brachyrhynchi n.sp. from a naturally infected crow, and killed for necropsy at various hours postinoculation. Tissues were fixed in Bouin's fluid and processed for light microscopy. Sporulation of I. brachyrhynchi to typical isospor...

Richardson's ground squirrels were infected with 1500 or 9000 sporocysts of Sarcocystis campestris from badgers. No lesions were found in animals killed one to three days postinfection (pi). Hepatitis and phlebitis of hepatic veins were present in animals killed between four and eight days pi. No me...

In May 1989 a previously unidentified apicomplexan parasite was found in brookstock bay scallops Argopecten irradians from the east coast of Canada. Host tissue responses ranged from focal hemocytic encapsulation to the formation of abscesses containing necrotic hemocytes, parasites and ceroid. Bay ...

Besnoitia was diagnosed in 2 caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) which died of pneumonia at the Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1983. During the following 3 years, besnoitiosis spread to an isolated herd of caribou, to mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) and to reindeer (R....

Studies were undertaken to monitor for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Gut contents were removed for culturing from seven engorged ticks collected in 1991-1992 including five Ixodes dammini (Spielman, Clifford, Piesman &...

Hemocytes of the American lobster (Homarus americanus H. Milne Edwards) were classified after examination of Wright-Giemsa stained cytocentrifuge preparations by brightfield light microscopy. Eleven hemocyte types were identified using morphologic criteria. The classification system was then used to...

This case report provides pathologic and confirmatory molecular characterization of an outbreak of bumper car disease caused by the scuticociliate Anophryoides haemophila in American lobster Homarus americanus, from a commercial holding facility in Nova Scotia, Canada. Although sporadically and anec...

Sporozoites of S. hirsuta, although they also penetrated into bovine monocytes, developed to the schizogonous phase only in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells. Schizonts were evident from 14 days after sporozoite inoculation (DAI) and persisted to 62 DAI, when experiments were terminated. Mer...

Spores identified as Myxobolus neurobius were found in head homogenates of both wild young Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus . Formalin-preserved spores from Atlantic salmon measured an average of 12.9 x 9.4 mu m and contained two polar capsules that measured 6.4 x 2.9 m...

Proteinase K was used for the cleaning of Sarcocystis cruzi (Apicomplexa) sporocysts prior to excystation. Bovine pulmonary endothelial cell cultures inoculated with the excysted sporozoites remained free of bacterial contamination for the duration of the experiment and had high yields of merozoites...

The principal lesions due to the ciliate Anophryoides haemophila in experimentally infected lobsters are observed in the gills and connective tissue from the 9th week post-infection. These lesions were not related to the inoculum of parasites and were consistent in all inoculum studies (2000, 10 000...

The concentration of arginine kinase (AK) in the hemolymph of lobsters may aid in the identification of muscle diseases in these animals in the same way that creatine kinase activity in blood plasma does in mammalian species. Both manual and automated analysis methods were developed for measuring AK...

The purpose of this research was to investigate the salinity and formalin sensitivity of a ciliate parasite (Anophryoides haemophila) of the American lobster (Homarus americanus), and to examine the target-animal (lobster) safety of chemical-bath treatments involving low salinity, formalin, or chlor...