Non-Occurrence of Free-Living Paramoeba-Invadens in Water and Sediments of Halifax Harbour Nova Scotia Canada
View/ Open
Date
1989Author
Jellett, J. F.
Novitsky, J. A.
Cantley, J. A.
Scheibling, Robert Eric
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Seawater and sediment samples from various sites in or near Halifax Harbour were cultured for
Paramoeba as were tissues of the natural sea urchin host Stronglyocentrotus droebachiensis sampled
from Halifax Harbour. An isolate of Paramoeba from a Halifax Harbour water sample was not virulent
on injection into healthy sea urchins. However, some sea urchins in cages near the outfall pipe of
Dalhousie University's seawater system were infected during the annual peak of the seawater
temperature cycle. Results indicate that (1) there is no evidence of a free-living endemic
population of Paramoeba invadens in or near Halifax Harbour, (2) S. droebachiensis, the natural host
for P. invadens, do not harbour a reservoir population of this organism at temperatures sub-optimal
for paramoebiasis, and (3) Paramoeba which are morphologically indistinct from laboratory stocks of
P. invadens were recovered near the outfall pipe. These organisms may have been released via the
outfall pipe into Halifax Harbour and subsequently lost virulence.
Citation
Jellett, J. F., J. A. Novitsky, J. A. Cantley, and R. E. Scheibling. 1989. "Non-Occurrence of Free-Living Paramoeba-Invadens in Water and Sediments of Halifax Harbour Nova
Scotia Canada." Marine Ecology Progress Series 56(1-2): 205-209. doi:10.3354/meps056205