Pathogens and microorganisms in the mangrove oyster Crassostrea gasar cultivated in an estuarine environment in Northeast Brazil

Abstract

Estuaries are important ecosystems due to the ecological services they provide, acting as nurseries for many species of fish and invertebrates, and are also used as environments for the extraction and cultivation of mollusks. Oysters are animals that filter water to obtain oxygen and nutrients. In this process, they can bioaccumulate microorganisms and chemical substances in their tissues. The growth of mollusk culture in Northeastern Brazil requires the health identification of cultivated oysters through the quantification of the potentially harmful microbiota accumulated in the animals. Therefore, the present work aims to quantify and identify bacteria and possible pathogens found in the tissues of cultivated oysters and their culture waters. The Most Probable Number of Coliforms (MPN) in oysters and water were considered suitable according to the Brazilian current legislation, Vibrio sp. obtained low colonization and Salmonella sp. was not observed. The prevalence of microorganisms potentially pathogenic to oysters was 33.7%, highlighting metazoans and Nematopsis sp., however, the intensity of the infestation of these organisms was moderate. The low contamination of oysters demonstrates that this culture environment is promising for this activity. However, continuous environmental and sanitary monitoring is fundamental to guarantee the safety of the culture waters and the sustainability of aquaculture activities.