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,

SUBMITTER: Whitten MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4082712 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature