Opportunistic but lethal: the mystery of Paramoebae

Paramoebae are enigmatic single-celled eukaryotes that can be opportunisticpathogens of marine animals. For example, amoebic gill disease ravagesfarmed salmonids worldwide, causing tens of millions of dollars in lossesannually. Although paramoebae can be found associated with animals rangingfromfish and lobster to molluscs and sea urchins, how and how often theyactually cause disease is unknown. Here we review recent progress towardsunderstanding the biology and ecology of paramoebid species and the eukaryoticendosymbionts that live inside them. Genomic and transcriptomicsequence data serve as a platform upon which future research on paramoebiasiscan build