| Autor: |
Lattos A; Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece., Bitchava K; Laboratory of Fish, Shellfish & Crustacean Diseases, Veterinary Research Institute of Thessaloniki ELGO-DEMETER, 570 01 Thessaloniki, Greece., Giantsis IA; Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Western Macedonia, 531 00 Florina, Greece., Theodorou JA; Department of Animal Production Fisheries & Aquaculture, University of Patras, 232 00 Mesolonghi, Greece., Batargias C; Department of Animal Production Fisheries & Aquaculture, University of Patras, 232 00 Mesolonghi, Greece., Michaelidis B; Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece. |
| Abstrakt: |
Pinna nobilis populations, constituting the largest bivalve mollusk endemic to the Mediterranean, is characterized as critically endangered, threatened by extinction. Among the various factors proposed as etiological agents are the Haplosporidium pinnae and Mycobacterium sp. parasites. Nevertheless, devastation of the fan mussel populations is still far from clear. The current work is undertaken under a broader study aiming to evaluate the health status of Pinna nobilis population in Aegean Sea, after the mass mortalities that occurred in 2019. A significant objective was also (a) the investigation of the etiological agents of small-scale winter mortalities in the remaining populations after the devastating results of Haplosporidium pinnae and Mycobacterium sp. infections, as well as (b) the examination of the susceptibility of the identified bacterial strains in antibiotics for future laboratory experiments. Microbiological assays were used in order to detect the presence of potential bacterial pathogens in moribund animals in combination with molecular tools for their identification. Our results provide evidence that Vibrio bacterial species are directly implicated in the winter mortalities, particularly in cases where the haplosporidian parasite was absent. Additionally, this is the first report of Vibrio mediterranei and V. splendidus hosted by any bivalve on the Greek coastline. |
