Freshwater Mussels Can Inhibit Bacterial Diseases
upstart writes:
Freshwater mussels can inhibit bacterial diseases:
Flavobacteria are a severe problem for fish farming and cause substantial economic losses. The "warm water disease" caused by Flavobacterium columnare is especially problematic since a functional vaccine against the bacterium is not available. The skin and gill damage in diseased individuals can cause high mortality in young salmonids.
Glochidium larvae of the freshwater pearl mussel attach to salmon or trout gills, where they develop and grow for 9 to 11 months until they detach and sink to the river bottom, starting their life as mussels. Glochidium larva is a parasite in the gills of fish. Therefore, it was assumed that glochidia-infested fish would be more prone to bacterial infection.
[...] "Filtering freshwater mussels could be potentially utilized in water treatment applications," says Head of Konnevesi Research Station and LIFE Revives project, professor Jouni Taskinen. "As species disappear, we may lose ecosystem services the species provide -- probably before we have even found them."
Journal References:
Chowdhury, M. Motiur R., Roy, Amitav, Auvinen, Kalle, et al. Glochidial infection by the endangered Margaritifera margaritifera (Mollusca) increased survival of salmonid host (Pisces) during experimental Flavobacterium disease outbreak [open], Parasitology Research (DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07285-7)
Hajisafarali, Mahsa, Aaltonen, Sari, Pulkkinen, Katja, et al. Does the freshwater mussel Anodonta anatina remove the fish pathogen Flavobacterium columnare from water? [open], Hydrobiologia (DOI: 10.1007/s10750-021-04769-6)
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.