title: Salinity effects on immune parameters of Ruditapes philippinarum challenged with Vibrio tapetis.
abstract: The occurrence of brown ring disease (BRD) in farmed Manila clams Ruditapes philippinarum is seasonal. Development of the disease is believed to require the presence of the infective agent Vibrio tapetis and particular environmental conditions. This paper studies the effect of salinity (20 to 40 per thousand) on measurable immune parameters of Manila clams, and the progression of BRD in experimentally infected individuals. At 20 per thousand salinity, the total haemocyte count was reduced and disease prevalence was highest. At 40 per thousand salinity significantly fewer clams presented signs of BRD, and this was correlated with increases in the total haemocyte count, hyalinocyte count, phenoloxidase levels and phagocytic activity of haemocytes. Inoculation of clams with V. tapetis did not have a significant effect on the immune parameters measured. Thus, this laboratory-based study relates environmental stress to disease development.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Joseph Black Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
authors.forename: H I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soudant
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paillard
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Birkbeck
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D005602:France; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D007121:Immunocompetence / Q000502:physiology; D007980:Levodopa / Q000502:physiology; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000502:physiology; D012623:Seawater / Q000032:analysis*; D014733:Vibrio / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007980:Levodopa