Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026

A Method for Microinjection of Patiria minata Zygotes
Published on: September 1, 2014
Emerging infectious disease in sea stars: castrating ciliate parasites in Patiria miniata
J Sunday1, L Raeburn, M W Hart
1Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada. sunday@sfu.ca
Abstract:
Orchitophrya stellarum is a holotrich ciliate that facultatively parasitizes and castrates male asteriid sea stars. We discovered a morphologically similar ciliate in testes of an asterinid sea star, the northeastern Pacific bat star Patiria miniata (Brandt, 1835). This parasite may represent a threat to Canadian populations of this iconic sea star. Confirmation that the parasite is O. stellarum would indicate a considerable host range expansion, and suggest that O. stellarum is a generalist sea star pathogen.
Related Concept Videos
Diversity of Protists II
Diversity of Protists I
Giardiasis
Bacterial Phylum Spirochaetes
Amebiasis
Trichomoniasis

