Hematodinium Infections: A Problem for the Sustainability of

Dinoflagellates of the genusHematodinium infect over 40 species of marine crustaceans. Since the initial description of this parasite in France in the 1930s [1], it appears to have spread glob-ally, causing economic loss in some species, including Tanner crabs (Chionoecetes bairdi) in Alaska [2], blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in the United States [3], edible crabs (Cancer pagurus) and Norway lobsters (Nephrops norvegicus) in Europe [4–7], sand crabs (Portunus armatus) in Australia [8], and Chinese swimming crabs (Portunus trituberculatus) in northern China [9]. Because this disease is thought to be fatal, it may be of great significance to the sus-tainability of both captive shellfish fisheries and aquaculture [10,11]. For instance, the decline in blue crabs from the Atlantic to Gulf Coasts in the US appears to be linked to epizootic out-breaks of disease caused byHematodinium [12]. Similarly, the reduction in velvet swimmer crab (Necora puber) numbers in Brittany in the 1980s has been attributed to the high preva-lence of such infections [13]. Finally, the recent reports ofHematodinium infections in crabs and shrimp raised under aquaculture conditions in China [9,14,15] highlight the danger to ad-ditional, cultured crustacean populations. The number and host range of species ofHematodinium is unclear. Chatton and Poisso