Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Myxobolus pfeifferi
References
Britannica AI Icon

Myxobolus pfeifferi

organism
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Myxobolus pfeifferi is an organism that causes boil disease in fish, specifically barbels. It belongs to the genus Myxobolus, which are cnidosporidian protozoans. These organisms are characterized by complex spores containing infective amoeboid sporoplasms and polar capsules with coiled filaments.12

Myxosporidians, including Myxobolus pfeifferi, are primarily parasites of fish, though they can also infect amphibians and reptiles. Infections can be fatal and commonly affect organs like the gallbladder and urinary bladder, as well as the skin, muscles, and gills. After an animal ingests the spores, the sporoplasm is released, which then travels to an organ or tissue to feed, develop, and produce new spores.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
2 Britannica Sources
  1. myxosporidian
  2. Myxobolus

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.