Oomycete and chytrid infections of the marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia pungens (Bacillariophyceae) from Prince Edward Island, Canada

Abstract

Two eukaryotic parasites were found infecting the bloom-forming marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia pungens (Grunow ex Cleve) Hasle in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The most common was an oomycete; the other, seen once, was a chytrid. The structure of the discharged sporangium of both is remarkably similar. The oomycete parasite caused the host cell to lay down several extra girdle bands as the parasite thallus grew and swelled to form a holocarpic, endobiotic, nonwalled multinucleate thallus within the host cytoplasm. At maturity the thallus formed a single discharge tube with a thickened base and a thin papillate apex. Many biflagaellate zoospores were formed that burst out from the discharge tube. Ultrastructural characteristics of the oomycete thallus include mitochondria with tubular cristae and vesicles with dense body inclusions, features common to the oomycetes. The morphological characteristics and biflagellate condition indicate a placement of this form in the genus Ectrogella . However, neither flagellar mastigonemes nor flagella flimmer vesicles were found. The absence of flimmers may indicate a closer phylogenetic relationship to Haptoglossa , an endoparasitic oomycete of nematodes, the zoospores of which lack flagellar mastigonemes. Cell infection frequencies ranged from 0.6%–15.9% during 1992–1995, at the four sampling sites.