Interaction of Haematopoietic Tissue Cultures of the Dublin Bay Prawn, Nephrops Norvegicus (L.), with the Causal Agent of Luminous Vibriosis Vibrio Harveyi

摘要

Vibrio harveyi cells (dose>103 cells mL -1) and extracellular products (ECP; >25 μg mL -1 of total protein concentration) destroyed haematopoietic cultures of Nephrops norvegicus within 24 h of exposure. Cytopathic effects (CPE) started after 4 h of exposure to the bacterial cells, with some granularity in the cytoplasm, mostly in cells in the outer periphe-ry of the explant growth. At the end of the infection, a considerable number of nuclei remained attached to the substrate, apparently unaffected. Following exposure to ECP, initial deterioration was observed at 2 h with the presence of granularity in the cytoplasm of<20% cells, and few cells displayed small vacuoles around the nuclei. Parallel results were obtained using whole animal experiments, with V. harveyi cells being lethal to nephrops within 24 h.