title: Disease profiles of juvenile edible crabs (Cancer pagurus L.) differ at two geographically-close intertidal sites.
abstract: The prevalence of disease in edible crabs (Cancer pagurus) was assessed at two sites in South West Wales; one estuarine (Pembroke Ferry) and another facing open water (Freshwater East). Diseases included pink crab disease caused by Hematodinium sp., an infection of the antennal gland caused by Paramikrocytos canceri and an idiopathic inflammatory condition of the connective tissue surrounding the anterior ganglionic masses. This latter condition was only found in crabs from Pembroke Ferry. There was a significantly higher prevalence of pink crab disease at Freshwater East than Pembroke Ferry, although both sites had similar levels of infection by P. canceri.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK.
authors.forename: Tara J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Thrupp
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK.
authors.forename: Edward C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK; College of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK.
authors.forename: Miranda M A
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Whitten
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bull
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK.
authors.forename: Emma C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Wootton
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK.
authors.forename: Morgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK.
authors.forename: Claire L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Vogan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, Wales, UK. Electronic address: a.f.rowley@swansea.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Andrew F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Rowley
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D003386:Brachyura; D004194:Disease; D015995:Prevalence; D012758:Shellfish; D014852:Wales
keywords: Crab fisheries; Disease ecology; Hematodinium; Mikrocytid infection; Pink crab disease