''Cryptobia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of kinetoplastids. Several species are known for being

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...

pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a ger ...

s. They can be found in other animals, as well. The name ''Trypanoplasma'' is occasionally used for some of these.Woo, P. T. K. (2003)
''Cryptobia'' (''Trypanoplasma'') ''salmositica'' and salmonid cryptobiosis.
''Journal of Fish Diseases'' 26(11-12) 627–46.

Biology

There are 52 species of ''Cryptobia'' known from fish. 40 of these live in the blood, 7 in the gut, and 5 on the body surface. Examples include: *'' Cryptobia branchialis'', an

ectoparasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

that lives on the skin or

gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they ar ...

s. It can deform the skin and cause

anorexia Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gre ...

and death. *'' Cryptobia iubilans'', an

endoparasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has c ...

that lives in the intestines and causes granulomatous inflammation of the abdominal organs, resulting in weight loss and death. *'' Cryptobia salmositica'', '' C. borreli'', and '' C. bullocki'', blood parasites that lead to

anaemia Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, t ...

and lesions in the haematopoietic tissues. Some ''Cryptobia'' parasitize other animal taxa. Examples include: *''

Cryptobia innominata ''Cryptobia'' is a genus of kinetoplastids. Several species are known for being fish pathogens. They can be found in other animals, as well. The name ''Trypanoplasma'' is occasionally used for some of these.Woo, P. T. K. (2003)''Cryptobia'' (' ...

'', a parasite of the

snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class G ...

'' Triodopsis tridentata''.Kozloff, E. N. (2004)
Redescription of ''Cryptobia helicis'' Leidy, 1846 (Kinetoplasta: Bodonea: Cryptobiidae), disposition of flagellates mistakenly assigned to this species, and description of a new species from a North American pulmonate snail.
''Acta Protozoologica'' 43 123-32.

Diagnosis and treatment

In fish, the disease is most important in

salmonid Salmonidae is a family of ray-finned fish that constitutes the only currently extant family in the order Salmoniformes . It includes salmon (both Atlantic and Pacific species), trout (both ocean-going and landlocked), chars, freshwater whitefis ...

s. Marine and freshwater fish can be infected. These protozoans can be found on most continents. Bloodfeeding

leech Leeches are segmented parasitic or predatory worms that comprise the subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the oligochaetes, which include the earthworm, and like them have soft, muscular segmented b ...

es are implicated in the transmission of the bloodborne species. The protozoans can be identified in skin and gill

biopsies A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist. The process involves extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine the presence or extent of a di ...

and blood samples. For some of the protozoans, antibodies can be detected in the fish using

ELISA The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (, ) is a commonly used analytical biochemistry assay, first described by Eva Engvall and Peter Perlmann in 1971. The assay uses a solid-phase type of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presence ...

and fluorescent antibody testing. Chemical treatment with isometamidium chloride has been effective. There is a

vaccine A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified. ...

against ''C. salmositica'' which lasts up to 2 years.

Taxonomy

Species include:Guiry, M. D. & G. M. Guiry. 2013
''Cryptobia''.
AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. 11 June 2013. *''

Cryptobia bialata ''Cryptobia'' is a genus of kinetoplastids. Several species are known for being fish pathogens. They can be found in other animals, as well. The name ''Trypanoplasma'' is occasionally used for some of these.Woo, P. T. K. (2003)''Cryptobia'' ('' ...

'' *'' Cryptobia borreli'' *'' Cryptobia branchialis'' *'' Cryptobia bullocki'' *''

Cryptobia carinariae ''Cryptobia'' is a genus of kinetoplastids. Several species are known for being fish pathogens. They can be found in other animals, as well. The name ''Trypanoplasma'' is occasionally used for some of these.Woo, P. T. K. (2003)''Cryptobia'' (''Try ...

'' *'' Cryptobia geccorum'' *'' Cryptobia helicis'' *''

'' *'' Cryptobia iubilans'' *'' Cryptobia salmositica''

References

Kinetoplastids Parasites of fish Euglenozoa genera {{Excavata-stub