Sanidade de lagostas espinhosas do gênero Panulirus no litoral cearense

Abstract

Spiny lobsters are an important fishing resource exploited in Brazil. Although this is the central theme in several studies in recent years, few have addressed its health and immunological aspects, creating a gap in understanding its development in a natural environment. The lack of studies that characterize the biochemical parameters and their tissues when healthy makes it difficult to identify sick lobsters in their initial state, since only at an advanced level do they become moribund. Given this context, this work aimed to evaluate immunological and histological aspects of lobsters of the species P. argus and P. laevicauda with the purpose of describing the characteristics of healthy organisms and scanning for pathogens that occur in the genus. To achieve this objective, 24 healthy samples collected in Praia de Redonda (Icapuí) and Praia do Meireles (Fortaleza) and 478 paws collected in the fishing industry in Fortaleza were used, carrying out the characterization through observation of the tissues fixed on histological slides, of parameters immunological and molecular analysis for White Spot Syndrome virus, Pav1 and microsporidium. In this way, it was possible to clarify some questions regarding the health status of the lobster fishing stock, enabling the analysis of structures and cells of the healthy tissues of the hepatopancreas, antennal gland, muscle, heart, gills and intestine. A protective mechanism can be detected by observing a phagocyte and hemocytic infiltration in the heart and checking the presence of parasites in the intestine. Histological analyzes showed that the tissues of the studied species are similar to those found in lobsters from the Palinuridae family. Immunological studies showed lower parameters for individuals of the P. argus species when compared to the P. laevicauda species. Young individuals also presented immunological values lower than those observed for adult individuals. Molecular scanning showed no evidence of infection for the viruses analyzed and the microsporidium investigated. This is the first study that seeks to understand the health status of lobster populations in a natural environment.