Effects of hypercapnic hypoxia on inactivation and elimination of Vibrio campbellii in the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica.

The Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, inhabits shallow coastal waters that frequently experience periods of low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) and elevated CO(2) (hypercapnia) levels. Bacteria are extremely abundant in these environments and accumulate in large numbers in filter-feeding oysters, which can act as passive carriers of human pathogens. Although hypercapnic hypoxia (HH) can affect certain specific immune mechanisms, its direct effect on the inactivation, degradation and elimination of bacteria in oysters is unknown.