Recently, we described a novel denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) approach useful for initial detection and identification of crustacean parasites. Because this approach utilizes general primers targeted to conserved regions of the 18S rRNA gene, a priori genetic sequence information on eukaryotic parasites is not required. This distinction provides a significant advantage over specifically targeted PCR assays that do not allow for the detection of unknown or unsuspected parasites. However, initial field evaluations of the DHPLC assay suggested that because of PCR-biased amplification of dominant host genes it was not possible to detect relatively rare parasite genes in infected crab tissue. Here, we describe the use of a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) PCR hybridization blocking probe in association with DHPLC (PNA-PCR DHPLC) to overcome inherent PCR bias associated with amplification of rare target genes by use of generic primers. This approach was utilized to detect infection of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) by the parasitic dinoflagellate Hematodinium sp. Evaluation of 76 crabs caught in Wassaw Sound, GA, indicated a 97% correspondence between detection of the parasite by use of a specific PCR diagnostic assay and that by use of PNA-PCR DHPLC. During these studies, we discovered one crab with an association with a previously undescribed protist symbiont. Phylogenetic analysis of the amplified symbiont 18S rRNA gene indicated that it is most closely related to the free-living kinetoplastid parasite Procryptobia sorokini. To our knowledge, this is the first report of this parasite group in a decapod crab and of this organism exhibiting a presumably parasitic life history.Parasites, parasitoids, and infectious diseases are recognized as significant biotic factors affecting individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems and have been implicated in global-scale declines of a wide range of marine and terrestrial species (11,17,22,25,27). For example, the world's coral reefs are currently declining at an alarming rate and although the role of disease is clearly prominent, many of the responsible disease agents remain unknown (12,32,36). Historically, discovery and investigation of disease processes have relied exclusively on labor-intensive histological and culture-based techniques. Methodological limitations have therefore been recognized as a major impediment to the study of emerging diseases in marine species. The lack of knowledge about the existence and biology of many parasites and parasitoids limits our ability to recognize the emergence of new diseases and to identify complex life histories and vectors involved in disease etiology. These difficulties are particularly acute for those trying to understand linkages between environmental stressors and disease since such studies demand the analysis of large numbers and diversities of samples (21).During the past decade, new molecular diagnostic techniques have enabled detection and quantification of a large range of parasites, parasit...