Perkinsus Marinus

Perkinsus marinus is a prevalent pathogen of oysters, causing massive mortality in oyster populations. The disease it causes is known as "Dermo" (or, more recently, as "Perkinsosis"), and is characterized by proteolytic degradation of oyster tissues. Due to its negative effect on the oyster industry, parasitologists interested in helping oyster farmers are trying to find novel strategies to combat the disease. P. marinus are found in marine water, and grow especially well in warm waters during the summer months. Its genome has been sequenced by TIGR, but as of Nov, 2010 no publication describing this can be found in PubMed. The size of the genome is estimated to be ~86 megabases.