The Effects of Environmental Contaminants on the Progression of
Perkinsus marinus Infection
in the Eastern Oyster
A major factor in the near decimation of oysters over the last decade in Chesapeake Bay has been parasitic disease, in particular, two protozoan parasites commonly referred to as MSX (Haplosporidium nelsoni) and Dermo (Perkinsus marinus). Against both these diseases, the oyster has largely been defenseless–the puzzling question is why?
One explanation may be the deleterious effects of pollutants, e.g., cadmium and aluminum, on the functioning of the oyster immune system. Laboratory testing of the immune system's disease-fighting cells indicates that their activity is suppressed at high concentrations of some toxic compounds. Robert Anderson, Eugene Burreson and Michael Unger hypothesize that heavy metals and other contaminants reduce the oyster's resistance to dermo. Tthey have designed studies that should enable them to detail the effects pollutants might have on progression of the disease in individual oysters.
|
Robert S. Anderson
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Eugene M. Burreson
Michael Unger
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
The College of William and Mary
|
|
|
