Influence of environmental factors on zoospores of Saprolegnia diclina

The numbers of zoospores produced by a pathogenic strain of Saprolegnia diclina and their behaviour are markedly influenced by a variety of environmental variables including temperature, pH, oxygen tension and the presence of biocides. The use of the latter is not recommended, as fish readily succumb to equivalent concentrations of biocides. Analysis of the pattern of distribution of resulting zoospore cysts demonstrates that zoospores become dispersed by random movement even while in the proximity of the parent colony’s nutrient source. However, the presence of amino acids, in particular aspartic and glutamic acid, at concentrations which occur in fish tissue promotes the directed movement of zoospores towards the nutrient source thereby encouraging the colonization of fresh sites.