Stoichiometry of growth under variable scenarios of nutrient limitation: Differential homeostasis of body composition among growth phenotypes of the Manila clam.

Fast- and slow-growing phenotypes from two separate breeding families of the Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) were alternatively fed two monoalgal diets with high and low N content (C:N ratios of 4.9 and 13.5, respectively).

Rapid capture and detection of ostreid herpesvirus-1 from Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas and seawater using magnetic beads.

Ostreid herpesvirus-1 (OsHV-1) has been involved in mass mortality episodes of Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas throughout the world, causing important economic losses to the aquaculture industry. In the present study, magnetic beads (MBs) coated with an anionic polymer were used to capture viable OsHV-1 from two types of naturally infected matrix: oyster homogenate and seawater. Adsorption of the virus on the MBs and characterisation of the MB-virus conjugates was demonstrated by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR).

A Production Calendar Based on Water Temperature, Spat Size, and Husbandry Practices Reduce OsHV-1 μvar Impact on Cultured Pacific Oyster in the Ebro Delta (Catalonia), Mediterranean Coast of Spain.

Since 2006, the production of Pacific oyster in the Ebro Delta area has dramatically declined from around 800 metric tons (MT) per year to 138 MT in 2011. This decline in production has had a significant socio-economic impact in a region where the shellfish sector is a traditional economic activity for many families. The identified agent responsible for this reduction in production was Ostreid Herpesvirus microvar (OsHV-1 μvar), which has been associated with spat mortalities in France, and in many other countries.

Update of information on perkinsosis in NW Mediterranean coast: Identification of Perkinsus spp. (Protista) in new locations and hosts.

This study addressed perkinsosis in commercially important mollusc species in the western Mediterranean area. Perkinsus olseni was found in Santa Gilla Lagoon (Sardinia) infecting Ruditapes decussatus, Cerastoderma glaucum and Venerupis aurea, in Balearic Islands infecting Venus verrucosa and in Delta de l'Ebre (NE Spain) parasitising Ruditapes philippinarum and R. decussatus.