Possible impacts of zoosporic parasites in diseases of commercially important marine mollusc species: part II. Labyrinthulomycota

The phylum Labyrinthulomycota comprises diverse marine fungus-like protists that are an abundant and widespread component of the marine microbiota. Despite their ubiquity in marine ecosystems, relatively little is known about the ecology of any of the pathogenic species in the Labyrinthulomycota. Most are thought to exist as saprobes, but many species have been documented as pathogens of marine metazoans and metaphytes. The best studied labyrinthulomycotan pathogen in molluscs is Quahog Parasite Unknown (QPX), which causes mortality events in both wild and cultured hard clams,