Black gill disease
Bacterial disease of fish / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Black gill disease, also known as black spot disease or black death, is a disease affecting various species of marine animals, including shellfish and crustaceans, across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The disease is characterized by the visibly noticeable black melanated gills, speculated to be caused by a fungus called Fusarium solani or a similarly shaped ciliate. Human consumption of fish affected by black gill disease is harmless.[1]
A significant portion of the aquaculture communities and fishing businesses have scientifically observed a steady decline in healthy fish capture since 1996,[1] contributing to a shortage[2] of shrimp and fish in the food industry. The origin of the fungus agent causing black gill disease is unknown[3] and unlikely to dissipate. Researchers have also observed a causal relationship between the disease and environmental factors, such as waste spill[3] contamination, ocean pollution, and climate change.[4]
Studies to determine the prevalence of the disease have been largely conducted by methodically collecting batches of healthy and infected shrimp across regional coastlines. Two main species of shrimp used for research include Litopenaeus setiferus (white shrimp) and Farfantepenaeus aztecus (brown shrimp).