Histopathology of the Digestive Tissues and Whole-Body Anaerobic Bacteria Counts of the Eastern Oyster,Crassostrea virginica, After Experimental Exposure to Anoxia

In situ hybridization and histopathological observations during ostreid herpesvirus-1-associated mortalities in Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas

“…Atrophy of the digestive gland is attributed to various factors and considered to be a good indicator of unfavourable environmental conditions (Sparks 1972). Low oxygen tension during high summer temperatures (Fogelson et al 2011), spawning stress (Kang et al 2010), salinity changes (Knowles et al 2014), toxin-producing dinoflagellates (Pearce et al 2005) and starvation (Winstead 1995) have all been shown to induce sloughing of gut cells resulting in thin, dilated digestive glands in oyster bivalves. Thinning of the digestive diverticulae was also reported to be an early feature, within 8 h, of acute inflammation in C. gigas (Sparks & Morado 1988).…”