Abstract
A recent review of diseases of the European edible crab (Cancer pagurus) has revealed an array of pathogens that may act as mortality drivers within the fishery (Stentiford, 2008). In my study, juvenile and adult crabs are sampled every second month, and screened for diseases in the laboratory using an out-work schedule by Cefas, Weymouth. Cefas Weymouth Laboratory is the designated European Community Reference Laboratory (CRL) for Crustacean Diseases. The CRL coordinate the activities associated with crustacean disease diagnosis across the European Union and ensure harmonised diagnostics for crustacean diseases listed within EC Directive 2006/88. The juveniles are easily sampled from the shore in Weymouth and surrounding area at the low tide. Adults are sampled from the commercial fishery via purchase from the commercial inshore fishermen. Essentially, juvenile and adult animals are sampled from the same population. Experiments to study the mortality of infected individual are set up in the state-of-the-art biosecure facilities at the CEFAS laboratory. Infections are artificially administered via by injection or feeding with infected innoculum. The molecular effect of the juvenile higher disease prevalence and the assumed high mortality caused by the diseases, is studied by an investigation on gene expression of proPO and by sequencing of the this gene to monitor different variants of the gene sequence with potential differences in immune response ability.
Sweden