Project Number: 1935-42000-059-08
Project Type: Nonfunded Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Oct 01, 2008
End Date: Sep 30, 2010

Objective:
Why certain viruses persist in edible shellfish tissues is not known. The objective is to determine and quantify mechanisms that control uptake and persistence of pathogenic viruses in shellfish, concentrating on the roles of blood cells (hemocytes) in these processes.

Approach:
The role of hemocytes in virus persistence in the oyster will be evaluated. This will be carried out by 1) determining the timeline for viral persistence in hemocytes vs. whole body levels; 2) visusalizing by EM viral localization patterns in phagocytic hemocytes with emphasis on the phagolysosomes; 3) following the fate and persistence of viruses in hemocytes transferred from exposed to naive oysters; and 4) quantitation, by hemocyte subtype, of the association of virus with hemocytes withdrawn from exposed oysters, over a time series.