Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) as an in vivo infection model for domestic effluent contamination in seawater

Abstract

Contamination of water and food are responsible by many outbreaks and deaths worldwide. Pathogens such as bacteria, yeasts and viruses can reach the shellfish by several routes, where the discharge of domestic effluent in estuaries and production areas can be the main factor for an extensive trophic level contamination. The constant analysis of pathogen levels in local waters and shellfish organs is essential to ensure the consumer safety, and the development of in vivo models are an important resource to assist in laboratory studies. In this poster we present the Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) as an in vivo model of contamination by Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and spores of Bacillus thuringiensis.