title: Cuticles of European and American lobsters harbor diverse bacterial species and differ in disease susceptibility.
abstract: Diseases of lobster shells have a significant impact on fishing industries but the risk of disease transmission between different lobster species has yet to be properly investigated. This study compared bacterial biofilm communities from American (Homarus americanus) and European lobsters (H. gammarus), to assess both healthy cuticle and diseased cuticle during lesion formation. Culture-independent molecular techniques revealed diversity in the bacterial communities of cuticle biofilms both within and between the two lobster species, and identified three bacterial genera associated with shell lesions plus two putative beneficial bacterial species (detected exclusively in healthy cuticle or healing damaged cuticle). In an experimental aquarium shared between American and European lobsters, heterospecific transmission of potentially pathogenic bacteria appeared to be very limited; however, the claws of European lobsters were more likely to develop lesions when reared in the presence of American lobsters. Aquarium biofilms were also examined but revealed no candidate pathogens for environmental transmission. Aquimarina sp. 'homaria' (a potential pathogen associated with a severe epizootic form of shell disease) was detected at a much higher prevalence among American than European lobsters, but its presence correlated more with exacerbation of existing lesions rather than with lesion initiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, U.K.
authors.forename: Miranda M A
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Whitten
authors.forename: Charlotte E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tlusty
authors.forename: Emma C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Wootton
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chistoserdov
authors.forename: Andrew F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Rowley
mesh_terms: D060105:Animal Shells / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D058448:Biota; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008121:Nephropidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: Aquimarina; biofilm; emerging infectious diseases; invertebrate microbiology; lobster pathobiology; shell disease syndrome