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At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Respiratory gas transport, metabolic status, and locomotor capacity of the Christmas Island red crab Gecarcoidea natalis assessed in the field with respect to dichotomous seasonal activity levels.

Red crabs, Gecarcoidea natalis, exhibit seasonal activity patterns: low activity during the dry season when they shelter in burrows to avoid dehydration, and high activity during the wet season. Red crabs were examined in situ in the rainforest of Christmas Island to determine if there were underlying seasonal differences in the capacity for exercise and associated metabolism. During both seasons, free-ranging (FR) crabs engaged in their normal activities and, together with crabs induced to exercise for 5 min, were sampled for haemolymph and muscle tissue. Respiratory gases in the haemolymph and key metabolites were measured to assess differences in metabolic status of FR and exercised crabs. Actively foraging FR crabs during the wet season exhibited a relative haemolymph hypoxia (2.9 kPa) and accumulated an extra 3 mmol. litre(-1) of CO(2) compared to the relatively inactive FR crabs during the dry season. Wet-season crabs appeared to be in a state of relative respiratory acidosis compared to dry-season animals. This hypercapnia may arise as a consequence of a relative hypoventilation in animals with a relatively higher metabolic rate during the wet season. Oxygenation of pulmonary and arterial haemolymph was similar and remained high after 5 min of exercise, indicating that the gills and lungs functioned similarly in gas exchange in both FR and exercised crabs. During exercise, venous O(2) reserves decreased and red crabs experienced a mixed respiratory/metabolic acidosis. Similar changes, after 5 min of enforced exercise, in metabolite concentrations, pH and respiratory gas status in the haemolymph during both sampling seasons suggest that the crabs maintain similar capacity to increase exercise during the wet and the dry seasons, despite the differences in underlying physiological status. This is important since after prolonged inactivity during the dry season, with the arrival of moonsoonal rains, red crabs must engage in their annual breeding migration.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Differential seed and seedling predation by crabs: impacts on tropical coastal forest composition.

Recently, the importance of seed predation by crabs on mangrove species distributions and densities has been established by several studies. In a tropical coastal terrestrial forest in Costa Rica, we investigated the relative importance of predation by land crabs, Gecarcinus quadratus, and hermit crabs, Coenobita compressus, on measured forest composition through a series of seed removal and seedling establishment experiments. We also used natural light-gaps and adjacent non-gap sites to test how canopy cover affects crab predation (seed removal) and seedling establishment. We found fewer tree species (S=18) and lower densities (seedlings, saplings, and adults) in the coastal zone within 100 m of coastline, than in the inland zone (S=59). Land crab densities were higher in the coastal zone (3.03+/-1.44 crabs m(-2)) than in the inland zone (0.76+/-0.78 crabs m(-2)), and hermit crabs were not present in the inland zone. Seed removal and seedling mortality also were higher in the coastal zone than in the inland zone, and in the open controls than in the crab exclosures. Mortality of seeds and seedlings was two to six times higher in the controls than exclosures for four of the five experiments. Crabs preferred seeds and younger seedlings over older seedlings but showed no species preferences in the seed (Anacardium excelsum, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, and Terminalia oblonga) and seedling (Pachira quinata and E. cyclocarpum) stages. We conclude that the observed differences in tree densities were caused by differential crab predation pressure along the coastal gradient, while the differences in species composition were due to predator escape (satiation) by seed quantity. Canopy cover did not affect seed removal rates, but did affect seedling survival with higher mortality in the non-gap versus gap environments. In summary, crab predation of seeds and seedlings, and secondarily canopy cover, are important factors affecting tree establishment in terrestrial coastal forests.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

The importance of rock crab (Cancer irroratus) for growth, condition and ovary development of adult American lobster (Homarus americanus).

The rock crab (Cancer irroratus) fishery is a growing industry in eastern Canada. Considering that American lobster (Homarus americanus) is highly dependent on the rock crab as a food source, questions have arisen as to the impacts such a fishery would have. This study examines how different rations of rock crab can affect somatic growth, condition and ovary development of mature lobster, following molt. We tested the effect of four diets containing various amounts of rock crab, blue mussel and green sea urchin. The four diets were: a reference diet where 80% of the energy was provided by rock crab (T), a diet with half the crab content of the reference diet but containing as much protein (isoproteinic) as the reference diet (E1), a diet without crab but isoproteinic with the reference diet (E2), and a diet without crab but with as much energy (isocaloric) as the reference diet (E3). In general, lobsters fed a diet without rock crab showed lower glycogen and lipid content and higher water content in the digestive gland. Growth of chela muscles was lower, although diet did not have any effect on protein concentration. Ovary development was stunted in females. Differences were mostly striking in diet E3, which contained less proteins than the reference diet. Results obtained from diet E2 were also significantly different from the reference diet and not from E3, suggesting that mussel and urchin, even if given in a greater amount, are not equivalent to crab and cannot fully compensate the absence of this essential component of the lobster's diet. The importance of rock crab for lobster may be due to its high protein content and presence of particular amino acids. Our results strongly suggest that the development and management of a rock crab fishery should be cautious and governed by a multi-species approach.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Osmoregulation in the terrestrial Christmas Island red crab Gecarcoidea natalis (Brachyura: Gecarcinidae): modulation of branchial chloride uptake from the urine.

Crabs generally produce urine iso-osmotic to their haemolymph, but terrestrial crabs are able to vary the composition of their final excretory fluid (termed P) postrenally, in the branchial chambers. Regulatory aspects of branchial urine processing were investigated in the Christmas Island red crab Gecarcoidea natalis acclimated to drinking either freshwater (FW crabs) or 70% seawater (SW crabs). FW crabs released dilute P (mean [Cl(-)] 8.8 mmol l(-1)). Drinking 70% seawater caused the mean [Cl(-)] of the P to rise to 376 mmol l(-1) over 5 days, approaching the haemolymph [Cl(-)]. FW crabs with saline-perfused branchial chambers absorbed chloride at a high rate (10 mmol kg(-1) h(-1)), and haemolymph [Cl(-)] increased at approximately 20 mmol l(-1) h(-1). SW crabs exhibited elevated haemolymph osmolalities and ion concentrations and zero branchial chloride uptake. FW crabs that were salt-loaded by branchial chamber perfusion over several hours downregulated, and eventually ceased, chloride uptake. The rate of downregulation, but not the initial chloride flux, was dependent on initial haemolymph [Cl(-)]. Intravascular infusion of NaCl caused immediate reduction in branchial [Cl(-)] of 80%. Crabs ingested and regurgitated the perfusion saline, supporting suggestions that reingestion of urine could conserve water and ions. Dopamine upregulated branchial chloride transport in G. natalis. This is consistent with the ion-regulatory effects of dopamine in euryhaline marine brachyurans but contrasts with its inhibitory effects in the terrestrial anomuran Birgus latro. Dopamine increased the rate of urine release in FW crabs. Urine composition appears to be unimportant in ionic regulation, except in the case of magnesium, levels of which were elevated in the urine of SW crabs.

Absorption↗
PubMed2005

A comparison of different processing methods for picked blue crab (Callinectes sapidus).

Five methods for producing picked crab meat from cooked blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) were evaluated for internal food temperatures and bacterial numbers at various process points. Whole shell-on crabs, crab cores ("backed" crabs with carapace removed), and crab meat samples were analyzed for standard plate count, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. For three of the processes, crabs were backed and washed a substantial time before picking; one of the processes used an ice slush dip to cool cooked crabs. Except for a single crab sample, bacteria were not isolated from crab and core samples. Standard plate count, E. coli, and S. aureus in crab meat samples from the different processes were statistically the same. Bacterial numbers in fresh picked crab meat samples exposed to an ambient temperature of 20 to 21.1 degrees C for 1.5 and 3.5 h and stored at 1 degrees C for 3 to 4 days and 7 to 8 days did not significantly differ (P < 0.05).

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Mechanism for the small-scale movement of carbon among estuarine habitats: organic matter transfer not crab movement.

In theory, carbon is highly mobile in aquatic systems. Recent evidence from carbon stable isotopes of crabs (Parasesarma erythrodactyla and Australoplax tridentata), however, shows that in subtropical Australian waters, measurable carbon movement between adjacent mangrove and saltmarsh habitats is limited to no more than a few metres. We tested whether the pattern in crab delta13C values across mangrove and saltmarsh habitats was explained by crab movement, or the movement of particulate organic matter. We estimated crab movement in a mark-recapture program using an array of pitfall traps on 13 transects (a total of 65 traps) covering an area of 600 m2 across the interface of these two habitats. Over a 19-day period, the majority of crabs (91% for P. erythrodactyla, 93% for A. tridentata) moved <2 m from the place of initial capture. Crab movement cannot, therefore, explain the patterns in delta13C values of crabs. delta13C values of detritus collected at 2-m intervals across the same habitat interface fitted a sigmoidal curve of a similar form to that fitting the delta13C values of crabs. delta13C values of detritus were 2-4 per thousand more depleted in saltmarsh (-18.5+/-0.6 per thousand), and 4-7 per thousand more depleted in mangroves (-25.9+/-0.1 per thousand) than delta13C values of crabs recorded previously in each habitat. Assimilation by crabs of very small detrital fragments or microphytobenthos, more enriched in 13C, may explain the disparity in delta13C values. Nevertheless, the pattern in delta13C values of detritus suggests that crabs obtain their carbon from up to several metres away, but without themselves foraging more then a metre or so from their burrow. Such detailed measurements of carbon movement in estuaries provide a spatially explicit understanding of the functioning of food webs in saltmarsh and mangrove habitats.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Unraveling the nature of individual recognition by odor in hermit crabs.

Individual recognition is a key element in the social life of many invertebrates. However, most studies conducted so far document that several species are capable of a "binary" discrimination among conspecifics, but not of a "true individual recognition." Our objective was to learn more about the mechanisms that underlie individual recognition by odor in hermit crabs by individuating some of its properties. Using Pagurus longicarpus Say 1817 as a model species, we conducted four series of experiments in which the response of every test crab (the "receiver") to the different odor treatments (emitted by a "sender") was evaluated from its investigative behavior toward an empty, high-quality shell. After having excluded the possibility that crabs chemically recognize familiar/unfamiliar shells and/or shells of high/low quality, we explored whether the receivers discriminate odors from two familiar senders and whether this discrimination also occurs with unfamiliar crabs. We also asked whether crabs form an association between the odor of a familiar sender and some of its relevant attributes, i.e., rank, size, and shell quality. Finally, the shells inhabited by familiar individuals were manipulated to modify the association between odor and shell quality. Results showed that: (1) there is no odor specific of a rank; (2) individual crabs discriminate their own odor from the odor of other individuals; (3) they can chemically discriminate between larger crabs inhabiting higher-quality shells and smaller crabs inhabiting lower-quality shells, provided that these crabs are familiar to them; (4) they associate the odor of an individual crab with the quality of the shell it inhabits; and (5) this association quickly changes when social partners switch to shells of different quality. These results indicate that the nature of chemical recognition in P. longicarpus is more refined than a simple binary system. The receiver appears able to associate a type of information from the sender with memories of past experiences, therefore suggesting the hermit crab's potential for relatively high-order knowledge about conspecifics.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Rubidium uptake is increased in shore crabs, Carcinus maenas, acclimated to dilute seawater.

In dilute seawater, Carcinus maenas hyperosmoregulates by actively absorbing Na, K, and Cl. Here we characterize K uptake using a novel technique. Rb was used as a tracer for K transport, and hemolymph Rb levels were measured using cation chromatography. Hemolymph Rb was detectable at 0.1 mmol L(-1), which enabled determination of initial rate of Rb uptake. Crabs maintained for 3 wk in dilute artificial seawater (35% ASW crabs) maintained Na and K above the level of the external media and had elevated Na-K-ATPase activity in the posterior gills. In assay conditions matched to 100% ASW, Rb uptake was the same in 35% ASW crabs (0.45+/-0.04 micromol g(-1) h(-1)) and in crabs acclimated to normal seawater (100% ASW crabs, 0.49+/-0.05 micromol g(-1) h(-1)). In assay conditions matched to 35% ASW, Rb uptake was greater in 35% ASW crabs (0.28+/-0.03 micromol g(-1) h(-1)) compared with 100% ASW crabs (0.10+/-0.04 micromol g(-1) h(-1)). Low external [Rb] or reduced salinity were found to contribute independently to the difference between 100% ASW and 35% ASW crabs. Thus, whole-body Rb uptake in crabs can be measured by cation chromatography, and Rb uptake is greater in 35% ASW crabs than in 100% ASW crabs.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1995

Locomotor behavior of nocturnal ghost crabs on the beach: focal animal sampling and instantaneous velocity from three-dimensional motion analysis.

Previous laboratory measurements of the energetics and biomechanics of locomotion have defined performance limits for the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata. To discover whether these animals naturally operate within these limits, a novel infrared videotaping system was used to observe nocturnally active ghost crabs in the field for three-dimensional motion analysis (N = 27) and focal animal sampling (N = 24). Instantaneous movement velocity, movement duration, pause duration and stride frequency were determined from video tapes. Voluntarily active crabs moved at a mean instantaneous velocity of 8 cm s-1. Stressed crabs (i.e. those captured and released into the field site) moved at a mean velocity of 83 cm s-1. The mean movement and pause period durations of voluntarily active animals moving along the beach were 11.2 and 23.4 s, respectively. Stressed crabs had much shorter movement (1.4 s) and pause (7.6 s) durations. Despite the differences in mean movement and pause duration, both voluntarily active and stressed crabs moved for an average of approximately 30% of the observation period. These data indicate that voluntarily active ghost crabs primarily move at velocities that can be sustained aerobically and that their performance is not likely to be altered by moving intermittently. By contrast, stressed crabs move at faster speeds that are closer to the limits of their continuous locomotor performance (e.g. escape behavior and aggressive encounters). In the laboratory, the endurance capacity of crabs moving continuously at these rapid speeds is only a few seconds. However, in the field, the stressed crabs are able to move intermittently for more than a few seconds, yet they do not fatigue. These observations suggest that the performance limits of the stressed crabs are increased by moving intermittently.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Epizootiology of the parasitic dinoflagellate Hematodinium sp. in the American blue crab Callinectes sapidus.

Hematodinium sp. is a parasitic dinoflagellate that infects and kills blue crabs Callinectes sapidus. Periodic outbreaks of dinoflagellate infections with subsequent high host mortalities prompted a study of the epizootiology and distribution of the crab pathogen. Hemolymph samples from over 13000 crabs were assessed for infections over 8 yr. Moderate to high prevalences were found at several locations along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. In the coastal bays of Maryland and Virginia, prevalence followed a seasonal pattern, with a sharp peak in late autumn. Infections were significantly more prevalent in crabs measuring less than 30 mm carapace width; host sex did not influence prevalence. Prevalences were highest in crabs collected from salinities of 26 to 30%o; no infected crabs were found in salinities below 11%o. Intensity of infection did not vary among crab sizes, molt stages, or sexes. Naturally and experimentally infected crabs died over 35 and 55 d in captivity, with a mean time to death of approximately 13 and 42 d, respectively. Several other crustaceans, including gammaridean amphipods, xanthid (mud) crabs, and the green crab Carcinus maenus, were found with Hematodinium-like infections. Considering its widespread distribution and high pathogenicity, we suggest that Hematodinium sp. represents a significant threat to blue crab populations in high salinity estuaries along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the USA.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Avoidance of recently eaten foods by land hermit crabs, Coenobita compressus

Land hermit crabs, Coenobita compressus, prefer the odours of foods that they have not recently eaten. I used a laboratory choice assay to quantify observations of these induced food odour preferences and to examine the mechanisms that may underlie the formation of these preferences. A potential benefit of this behaviour to land hermit crabs was examined by measuring the relative growth rates of crabs fed single-item diets and a mixed diet. Sex and age differences among crabs did not affect their formation of odour preferences. Land hermit crabs that were exposed to one food for at least 9 h preferred foods having other odours for the next 6 h. Crabs avoided odours associated with food consumption. In choice assays using artificial diets, crabs consumed more glucose than casein, yet both nutrients generated an equal amount of avoidance. Land hermit crabs that received a multiple-item diet of flowers, snails and seeds had higher relative growth rates than crabs fed single-item diets. Nutritional analyses showed that these foods differed in their nutritional composition, with flowers containing the most carbohydrates, snails containing the most proteins and seeds containing the most lipids. Broader diets resulting from short-term avoidance of food odours may benefit land hermit crabs by increasing relative growth rates, possibly through the consumption of a more nutritionally balanced diet. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Pathological and physiological changes in the South African freshwater crab Potamonautes warreni calman induced by microbial gill infestations.

The impact of microbial gill infestations on the pathology and physiology of the freshwater crab Potamonautes warreni was investigated by comparison of infested and uninfested crab populations from, respectively, a polluted and an unpolluted site along the Mooi River, North West Province, South Africa. Heavy gill infestations by bacteria (70%), peritrichous ciliates such as Lagenophrys sp. (15%), Zoothamnium sp. (10%), and Epistylis sp. (5%), and motile protozoans resulted in species-specific lesions in the gill epithelia of P. warreni and physiological changes in crabs from the polluted site. Bacterial colonies enmeshed in polysaccharide-like films produced indentations of the gill cuticular surfaces and dissociation of microvillous membranes at the basal zone of epithelial cells of gill lamellae of P. warreni. Lagenophrys sp. induced large subcuticular spaces with an unfolding or resorption of the plasma membrane in the gill epithelia. The attachment of stalks of Zoothamnium and Epistylis resulted in dilation of lamellar tissues, the formation of vacuoles, and an increase in subcuticular spaces in the epithelia. Physiological changes in infested crabs included significant differences (P = 0.001) in increments of wet body mass and a reduced growth rate over time compared with uninfested crabs. The specific oxygen consumption (M(O2)) in rested infested crabs significantly increased (31.29 +/- 5.8 micromol O2/kg/min) compared with the M(O2) in uninfested crabs (27.92 +/- 5.6 micromol O2/kg/min; P = 0.009). The heart rate of infested rested P. warreni was significantly lower (40.77 +/- 13.79 beats/min; P < 0.02) than that in uninfested crabs (61.09 +/- 29.02 beats/min) but the heart rate of infested crabs increased significantly with body mass (r = 0.53, P = 0.02). These findings suggest an interrelationship among organic pollution, microbial gill infestations, and specific pathological and physiological responses in the crab host. The role of P. warreni and its microbial gill communities as bioindicators of pollution are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Effect of temperature on the spoilage rate of whole, unprocessed crabs: Carcinus maenas, Necora puber and Cancer pagurus.

Shelf life of whole, initially live, crabs depended primarily on the storage conditions and the time at which death occurred. Large differences in the time that individual crab species survived particular storage conditions resulted in wide variations in shelf-life. Bacterial spoilage of Carcinus maenas, Necora puber and Cancer pagurus, measured using aerobic plate counts, indicated that on ice at 4 degrees C whole unprocessed crabs had a shelf life approximately 9-11 days, at 4 degrees C approximately 13-29 days, in simulated supermarket conditions of sale approximately 5-7 days and at 20 degrees C approximately 2-16 days. Storage of whole unprocessed crabs chilled at 4 degrees C considerably extended shelf life compared to crabs stored on ice. Live crabs stored on ice died within 24h, most likely due to thermal shock and their early death was responsible for their more rapid increase in bacterial numbers compared to crabs stored at 4 degrees C. No growth of bacteria occurred in the flesh of live crabs stored at 4 degrees C for between 128 and 504 h. Crab flesh quality deteriorated prior to maximum shelf-life (defined as the time at which bacterial load reached log 5 cfu/g crabmeat) in some instances. The best compromise between high crabmeat yield and long shelf-life is likely to be to transport crabs at 4 degrees C live to market where they could be stored live at 4 degrees C without spoilage for 2 weeks before placed on ice at 4 degrees C, with a potential maximum shelf life of approximately 24 days.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Avoidance of drilled gastropod shells by the hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus at Nahant, Massachusetts.

Most hermit crabs depend on empty gastropod shells for shelter; competition for appropriate shells is often severe. This study determined whether shells that have been drilled by naticid gastropods are suitable for occupancy by the hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus. Differences in the characteristics of empty shells and those occupied by hermit crabs were assessed at two adjacent field sites in Nahant, Massachusetts. Drilling damage was far more frequent in empty gastropod shells than in shells occupied by hermit crabs, suggesting that individuals of P. longicarpus avoid drilled shells. They did not appear to avoid shells with other forms of damage. Laboratory experiments confirmed that these hermit crabs preferentially chose intact shells over drilled shells, even when the intact shells offered were most suitable for crabs half the weight of those tested. Final shell choices were generally made within 1 h. The hermit crabs apparently discriminated between intact and drilled shells based on tactile cues, since crabs kept in the dark showed the same preference for intact shells. The hermit crabs strongly avoided, to nearly the same extent, artificially drilled shells, naturally drilled shells, and shells with holes artificially drilled on the opposite side of the shell from where they would normally be located. Possible selective forces causing P. longicarpus to show such strong behavioral avoidance of drilled shells include increased vulnerability of crabs in drilled shells to osmotic stress, predation, and eviction by conspecifics.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

The role of burrowing beds and burrows of the SW Atlantic intertidal crab Chasmagnathus granulata in trapping organochlorine pesticides.

The effect of crab beds and bioturbation activity of the SW Atlantic intertidal crab Chasmagnathus granulata on the organochlorine pesticide (OCP) concentrations in Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina were studied. Total OCP concentration was significantly lower inside than outside the crab burrows. Nevertheless, the concentrations from outside the crab beds were lower than from outside crab burrows, which indicated that crab beds act as sinks of sediment-bound OCP due to the bioturbation activities of the crabs. The same distribution patterns were found in all sediments as well as in crabs, being cyclodienes>HCHs>DDTs, although large amounts of metabolites rather than the respective parental were found in the organism showing the capacity of C. granulata for metabolising parental compounds. These more water-soluble compounds are excreted by the faeces and finally removed by tidal flushing to the sea. Our results suggest that crabs when present play a role in the distribution of sediment-bound OCP and the crab beds are modifiers of the dynamic of organic pollutants in estuarine areas.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Identification and molecular characterization of Charybdis feriatus tropomyosin, the major crab allergen.

BACKGROUND: Crab sensitivity is one of the most common seafood allergies. However, to date, there has been no report on the molecular characterization of crab allergens and no comparative analysis with other seafood allergens. OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to clone, identify, and determine the primary structure of a major IgE-reactive molecule in crab. METHODS: We constructed an expression cDNA library from a common crab, Charybdis feriatus. This library was then screened with the use of sera from subjects with a well-documented history of type I hypersensitivity reactions upon ingestion of crab. An IgE-reactive clone was chosen and subcloned into plasmids for nucleotide sequence determination and expression in Escherichia coli. RESULTS: We identified a 1-kb cDNA designated as Cha f 1. Expression of Cha f 1 produces a 34-kd recombinant protein reactive to the IgE antibodies from patients with crab allergies but not from control subjects. Cha f 1 has an opening reading frame of 264 amino acids and demonstrates marked homology to the shrimp tropomyosin Met e 1. Absorption of allergic sera with Cha f I removes IgE reactivity to crab extract. Moreover, absorption of allergic sera with recombinant shrimp Met e 1 tropomyosin removes IgE reactivity to Cha f 1. CONCLUSIONS: This 34-kd protein, designated as Cha f 1, is the first identified major allergen of crab. Nucleotide and amino acid comparison shows that this protein is the crab tropomyosin. The molecular basis of shrimp and crab allergy is readily demonstrated at the nucleotide and amino acid level.

Allergens↗
PubMed1985

Incidence of bacteremia in stressed and unstressed populations of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus.

The incidence of bacteremia in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is reported to be in excess of 80%. Because these results have been controversial, a field study was initiated to determine the effect of commercial capture and handling stresses on the incidence and levels of infection in blue crabs. The majority (75%) of "unstressed" crabs which were captured individually and bled immediately upon removal from the water were bacteremic, with a geometric mean level of infection of 14 CFU/ml of hemolymph. Crabs collected by crab pot, confined within these pots for as long as 24 h, and sampled immediately after removal from the water had a similar mean level of infection. Crabs subjected to the stresses of commercial capture, handling, and transport showed a higher incidence of infection (91%) and a mean infection level of 46 CFU/ml. Injuries sustained by crabs during commercial handling are thought to be associated with the higher incidence of infection. Vibrio spp. were primarily responsible for progressive infections in commercially stressed crabs and were the predominant bacterial type in heavily infected crabs. Our results indicated that uninjured healthy crabs do not have sterile hemolymph but instead harbor low-level bacterial infections.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Effect of extracellular products of Pseudoalteromonas atlantica on the edible crab Cancer pagurus.

Previous studies have shown that injection of extracellular products (ECP) of Pseudoalteromononas atlantica isolated from shell disease-infected edible crabs (Cancer pagurus) into healthy crabs causes rapid death. In this study we examined the nature of the active lethal factor(s) in ECP. Injection of ECP into crabs caused a rapid decline in the total number of circulating hemocytes (blood cells), and the crabs died within 60 to 90 min. The individuals that died showed eyestalk retraction, limb paralysis, and lack of antennal sensitivity, suggesting that the active factor(s) targeted the nervous system. Histopathological investigations showed that affected crabs had large aggregates of hemocytes in the gills, and there was destruction of the tubules in the hepatopancreas. The active factor in ECP was not sensitive to heat treatment (100 degrees C for 30 min) and proteinase K digestion. As lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was a potential candidate for the lethal factor, it was purified from whole P. atlantica bacteria or ECP and subsequently injected into crabs. These crabs had all of the external symptoms observed previously with ECP, such as limb paralysis and eyestalk retraction, and they died within 90 min after challenge, although no significant decline in the number of circulating hemocytes was observed. Similarly, in vitro incubation of hemocytes with purified LPS (1 to 20 microg) from P. atlantica did not result in the clumping reaction observed with ECP but did result in a degranulation reaction and eventual cell lysis. Injection of crabs with Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas aeruginosa LPS (1 microg g of body weight(-1)) did not cause any of the characteristic symptoms observed following exposure to P. atlantica LPS. No mortality of crabs followed the injection of E. coli LPS, but P. aeruginosa LPS caused ca. 80% mortality at 2 h after injection. Overall, these results show that the main virulence factor of P. atlantica for edible crabs is LPS either alone or in combination with other heat-stable factors.

Animals↗