''Cryptobia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

kinetoplastids Kinetoplastida (or Kinetoplastea, as a class) is a group of flagellated protists belonging to the phylum Euglenozoa, and characterised by the presence of a distinctive organelle called the kinetoplast (hence the name), a granule containing a la ...

. Several species are known for being

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

pathogen In biology, a pathogen (, "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 Germ theory of d ...

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 Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted str ...

that lives on the skin or

gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, 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 r ...

s. It can deform the skin and cause

anorexia Anorexia nervosa (AN), often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by Calorie restriction, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. Individuals wit ...

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

endoparasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The en ...

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 (also spelt anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin availab ...

and lesions in the

haematopoietic Haematopoiesis (; ; also hematopoiesis in American English, sometimes h(a)emopoiesis) is the formation of blood cellular components. All cellular blood components are derived from haematopoietic stem cells. In a healthy adult human, roughly ten b ...

tissues. Some ''Cryptobia'' parasitize other animal taxa. Examples include: *'' Cryptobia innominata'', a parasite of the

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

'' 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, the only extant member of the suborder Salmonoidei, consisting of 11 extant genera and over 200 species collectively known as "salmonids" or "salmonoids". The family includes salmon (both Atlantic a ...

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

leech Leeches are segmented parasitism, parasitic or Predation, predatory worms that comprise the Class (biology), subclass Hirudinea within the phylum Annelida. They are closely related to the Oligochaeta, oligochaetes, which include the earthwor ...

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, an interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist. The process involves the extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine the presence or extent of ...

and blood samples. For some of the protozoans,

antibodies An antibody (Ab) or immunoglobulin (Ig) is a large, Y-shaped protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily which is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize antigens such as bacteria and viruses, including those that caus ...

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 is a solid-phase type of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presence of ...

and fluorescent antibody testing. Chemical treatment with

isometamidium chloride Isometamidium chloride is a triazene trypanocidal agent used in veterinary medicine. It consists of a single ethidium bromide like subunit linked to a fragment of the diminazene molecule. Resistance The Gibe River Valley in southwest Ethiopia ...

has been effective. There is a

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

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 borreli'' *'' Cryptobia branchialis'' *'' Cryptobia bullocki'' *'' Cryptobia carinariae'' *'' Cryptobia geccorum'' *'' Cryptobia helicis'' *'' Cryptobia innominata'' *'' Cryptobia iubilans'' *'' Cryptobia salmositica''

References

Kinetoplastids Parasites of fish Euglenozoa genera {{Excavata-stub