Abstract

Disease is a serious problem in the culture of freshwater crayfish for commercial purposes and there are many reports of bacterial, fungal and protozoan diseases in the literature. However, our understanding of crayfish pathology is still very incomplete, particularly with respect to viral or virally-related disease and the nature of pathogenesis with other micro-organisms. The oomycete, Aphanomyces astaci, which causes the fatal crayfish plague has received most attention and an analysis of the interaction between this fungus and its crayfish host is presented as a case study. Various factors, both physiological and environmental, undoubtedly influence the occurrence and severity of disease outbreaks in freshwater crustaceans, probably by lowering the defence capacity of the host, but further research into the cellular and molecular basis for pathogenicity is necessary before preventative measures can be defined.

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