Abstract
Myxosporean emaciation disease is caused by the enteric myxosporeans Enteromyxum leei and Sphaerospora fugu (syn. Leptotheca fugu). It emerged in the aquaculture of tiger puffer since mid-1990s in Japan. Thus far, more than 50 marine fishes have been reported as susceptible to E. leei in Europe and East Asia. As it has a wide host range and is feasible to transmit directly from fish to fish, E. leei is considered to be one of the most devastating parasites in warm water seawater aquacultures. Regardless of its economic impact, neither effective treatment nor preventive measure for the disease has been established until now. To control this disease, further studies are needed for better understanding of the biology of the parasites and of the host-parasite interaction.
