Bacterium antemanerecyst

Bacterium antemanerecyst
Creator	Squidy
Information
Status	Extant
Zones	3, 4, 6
Roles	Parasite
Classification
Genus	Bacterium
Species	Bacterium antemanerecyst
Evolution
Date	May 6th, 2019
Ancestor	Bacterium troianocyst
Descendants	No results

B. antemanerecyst descends from B. troianocyst, and is identical in most respects, and continues to be a parasite of Suboslontids and Macrognathids. What makes it unique is that it encysts outside, rather than inside, the host.

While inside of a host, antemanerecyst lives and reproduces normally, behaving similarily their ancestor B. kleptospiritus. Living in the bloodstream of their host, they soak up nutrients and reproduce via zoospores every ~20 minutes. As the population increases, the host gets more and more fatigued, eventually dying of exhaustion if there is nothing to keep the parasite's reproduction in check.

Once the host dies, antemanerecyst exit into surrounding water (if there is no water near the corpse, the cells simply die off). From there they will find a suitable substrate to cling onto, such as Taxonomum polyphs, although they will accept any spot they can wedge themselves into. After squeezing themselves into a suitable spot, they begin encysting by expanding and reinforcing their cell wall. Once ready, the cyst will begin filling with zoospores. When the cyst is eaten by an unsuspecting Suboslontid or Macrognathid, it makes its way through the host's digestive system, the zoospores protected by the walls of the cyst. By the time it reaches the intestinal tract of the host, the cyst is weakened, and the zoospores break their way out. The zoospores then burrow their way through the intestinal lining of the host and into their bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, the cells will mature to a maximum size of 3μm.

Unlike troianocyst, antemanerecyst has no means of surviving when its host is eaten by a predator, so it is uncommon for secondary consumers to become infected.