Investigating the possible role of benthic macroinvertebrates and zooplankton in the life cycle of the haplosporidian Bonamia ostreae

Bonamia ostreae is a protistan parasite of the European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis. Though direct transmission of the parasite can occur between oysters, it is unclear if this represents the complete life cycle of the parasite, and the role of a secondary or intermediate host or carrier species cannot be ruled out. In this preliminary study, benthic macroinvertebrates and zooplankton from a B. ostreae-endemic area were screened for the presence of parasite DNA, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Eight benthic macroinvertebrates and nineteen grouped zooplankton samples gave positive results. Certain species, found positive for the parasite DNA, were then used in laboratory transmission trials, to investigate if they could infect naive oysters. Transmission of B. ostreae was effected to two naive oysters cohabiting with the brittle star, Ophiothrix fragilis. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.