title: Introduced pathogens and native freshwater biodiversity: a case study of Sphaerothecum destruens.
abstract: A recent threat to European fish diversity was attributed to the association between an intracellular parasite, Sphaerothecum destruens, and a healthy freshwater fish carrier, the invasive Pseudorasbora parva originating from China. The pathogen was found to be responsible for the decline and local extinction of the European endangered cyprinid Leucaspius delineatus and high mortalities in stocks of Chinook and Atlantic salmon in the USA. Here, we show that the emerging S. destruens is also a threat to a wider range of freshwater fish than originally suspected such as bream, common carp, and roach. This is a true generalist as an analysis of susceptible hosts shows that S. destruens is not limited to a phylogenetically narrow host spectrum. This disease agent is a threat to fish biodiversity as it can amplify within multiple hosts and cause high mortalities.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Conservation Ecology and Environmental Change, School of Applied Sciences, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, United Kingdom. dandreou@bournemouth.ac.uk
authors.forename: Demetra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Andreou
authors.forename: Kristen D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Arkush
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Guégan
authors.forename: Rodolphe E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Gozlan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D005399:Fishes / Q000469:parasitology*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000469:parasitology*