Interaction of haematopoietic tissue cultures of the Dublin Bay Prawn, Nephrops norvegicus (L.), with the causal agent of luminous vibriosis Vibrio harveyi

Vibrio harveyi cells (dose—<10³ cells mL⁻¹) and extracellular products (ECP; >25 μmg mL⁻¹ of total protein concentration) destroyed haematopoietic cultures of Nephrops norvegicus within 24 h of exposure. Cytopathic effects (CPE) started after 4h of exposure to the bacterial cells, with some granularity in the cytoplasm, mostly in cells in the outer periphery of the explant growth. At the end of the infection, a considerable number of nuclei remained attached to the substrate, apparently unaffected. Following exposure to ECP, initial deterioration was observed at 2 h with the presence of granularity in the cytoplasm of<20% cells, and few cells displayed small vacuoles around the nuclei. Parallel results were obtained using whole animal experiments, with V. harveyi cells being lethal to nephrops within 24 h.