Native crayfish populations in Switzerland are declining. Beside crayfish plague, little is known about other pathogens and their impact on wild crayfish. Among these, viruses can act as potent pathogens and some, such as the White Spot Syndrome Virus, are known to have devastating impacts on crustaceans. Viruses can be primarily pathogenic or have a debilitating effect on their host, permitting secondary infections and increasing likelihood of disease. In recent years, metagenomic studies focusing on invertebrates have revealed a high diversity of viruses, but their importance and host-pathogen interactions still need to be elucidated.
The aim of this study is to (1) compare viral populations of two species of crayfish present in Switzerland, the noble crayfish (Astacus astacus), a native species and the invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), (2) assess the geographical distribution of viruses of interest and (3) investigate differences between crayfish plague infected and non-infected individuals, revealing possible interactions with A. astaci.
Contact: Tatiana Zingre, Simone Pisano, Heike Schmidt-Posthaus
