Skip to main content
Log in

New perspectives on the role of cleaning symbiosis in the possible transmission of fish diseases

  • Reviews
  • Published:
Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries Aims and scope Submit manuscript

This article has been updated

Abstract

For the last seven decades, cleaning symbiosis in the marine environment has been a research field of intrigue. There is substantial evidence that, by removing undesired items from their client fishes, cleaner organisms have positive ecosystem effects. These include increased fish recruitment, abundance and enhanced fish growth. However, the intimate association and high frequency of interactions between cleaners and clients potentially facilitates pathogen transmission and disease spread. In this review, we identify knowledge gaps and develop novel hypotheses on the interrelationship between parasites, hosts and the environment (disease triangle concept), with a particular emphasis on the potential role of cleaner organisms as hosts and/or transmitters of parasites. Despite evidence supporting the positive effects of cleaner organisms, we propose the cleaners as transmitters hypothesis; that some parasites may benefit from facilitated transmission to cleaners during cleaning interactions, or may use cleaner organisms as transmitters to infect a wider diversity and number of hosts. This cost of cleaning interactions has not been previously accounted for in cleaning theory. We also propose the parasite hotspot hypothesis; that parasite infection pressure may be higher around cleaning stations, thus presenting a conundrum for the infected client with respect to cleaning frequency and duration. The impact of a changing environment, particularly climate stressors on cleaners’ performance and clients’ cleaning demand are only beginning to be explored. It can be expected that cleaners, hosts/clients, and parasites will be impacted in different ways by anthropogenic changes which may disrupt the long-term stability of cleaning symbiosis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

All references used to generate Fig. 2 are contained in the Online Resource 1.

Change history

  • 27 February 2021

    The original online version of this article was revised: the link to the online resource on the page of the paper was not included previously and it is now included.

References

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Mark McCormick and Renato Morais for helpful insight, discussion, and comments on the manuscript. We thank Derek Sun for his contribution of unpublished data. The authors thank two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions, which improved the content of this article. We thank the platform IAN Image Library for providing free vectors and more specifically Christine Thurber for Naso unicornis and Epinephelus malabaricus, Tracey Saxby for Chaetodon lineolatus, Dascyllus aruanus, Plectorhinchus polytaenia and for the gorgonians and the triggerfish species, Joanna Woerner for Acanthurus nigrofuscus, and Dieter Tracey and Diana Kleine for anemones and corals. Cleaner wrasse model was purchased with all “All Extended Uses” from Turbosquid website (https://www.turbosquid.com/).

Funding

James Cook University Postgraduate Research Scholarship (JCUPRS) to PN.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

This review was designed by PN and KSH. The literature search and data analysis were done by PN. The initial draft was written by PN. The development of the manuscript was done by PN, KSH, DBV, ASG.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pauline Narvaez.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Consent to participate

All the authors consent to participate.

Consent for publication

All listed authors have approved the manuscript before submission.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 67 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Narvaez, P., Vaughan, D.B., Grutter, A.S. et al. New perspectives on the role of cleaning symbiosis in the possible transmission of fish diseases. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 31, 233–251 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-021-09642-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-021-09642-2

Keywords

Navigation