Biodiversity: disease threat to European fish

The deliberate introduction of new species can have unexpected negative consequences and we show here how a recently introduced fish, the invasive Asian cyprinid Pseudorasbora parva, is causing increased mortality and totally inhibiting spawning in an already endangered native fish, the European cyprinid Leucaspius delineatus. This threat is caused by an infectious pathogen, a rosette-like intracellular eukaryotic parasite that is a deadly, non-specific agent. It is probably carried by healthy Asian fish, and could decrease fish biodiversity in Europe, as well as having implications for commercial aquaculture.