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In vivo exposure of Mytilus edulis to living enteric bacteria: a threat for immune competency?

  • Ecotoxicology of estuaries in France and Québec, Canada
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Mussels are widespread in coastal environments and experience various physical, chemical, and bacteriological conditions. Owing to the increase of coastal urbanization, mussels are now commonly exposed not only to indigenous bacteria, but also to enteric bacteria originating from pulsed and chronic sewage discharges into coastal environments. Due to its broad resilience to environmental variations, the blue mussel Mytilus edulis is commonly used as an indicator of environmental quality in bio-monitoring programs. However, since mussel immune system capabilities may be affected by the presence of exogenous fecal bacteria in coastal seawater subjected to sewage discharges, we aimed to determine the effect of in vivo bacterial challenges on mussels' immune competency by using two exogenous enteric bacterial strains, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis, and an indigenous bacterial strain Vibrio splendidus (as control). Bacterial strains were tested individually, by injection into the posterior adductor muscle at three different cell densities (102, 103, and 104 cells). Unlike classic in vitro experiments using higher bacterial concentrations, neither the enteric bacteria nor the indigenous strain induced significant increase or decrease of either cell-mediated (phagocytosis, reactive oxygen species, and NO x production) or humoral components (prophenoloxidase-like, acid phosphatase, and l-leucine-aminopeptidase production) of the immune system. This study demonstrates that, at low concentrations, E. coli and E. faecalis do not represent an additional threat that could impair M. edulis immune competency and, as a consequence, its potential of survival in coastal areas subjected to sewage discharges.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Ahmed Siah and Dante Mateo from the Department of Pathology and Microbiology of the Atlantic Veterinary College of PEI University for providing us the bacterial strain V. splendidus 7SHRW. Thanks are addressed to Marie-Gil Fortin and Bertrand Genard for their technical support. This study was supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Strategic Projects to M. Fournier, and the Société de Développement de l’Industrie Maricole du Québec. Isabelle Boily received ISMER and Réseau Aquaculture Québec supports during this work.

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  1. Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski, UQAR, 310 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, G5L 3A1, Canada

    Sophie Gauthier-Clerc, Isabelle Boily & Karine Lemarchand

  2. INRS-Institut Armand Frappier, 531 boul. des Prairies, Laval, QC, H7V 1B7, Canada

    Michel Fournier

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  1. Sophie Gauthier-Clerc
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  4. Karine Lemarchand
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Correspondence to Karine Lemarchand.

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Gauthier-Clerc, S., Boily, I., Fournier, M. et al. In vivo exposure of Mytilus edulis to living enteric bacteria: a threat for immune competency?. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 612–620 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1200-x

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