Detection of <i>Haplosporidium pinnae</i> from <i>Pinna nobilis</i> Faeces
Raquel Lopez-Nuñez | Emilio Cortés Melendreras | Francisca Giménez Casalduero | Patricia Prado | Federico Lopez-Moya | Luis Vicente Lopez-Llorca
<i>Pinna nobilis</i> (Linnaeus, 1758) is the largest bivalve endemic to the Mediterranean. It is distributed in a wide range of coastal environments, including estuaries. <i>Pinna nobilis</i> has recently become a critically endangered species (with almost 100% mortality) along the entire Spanish Mediterranean coast. This may be due to coinfections caused by <i>Haplosporidium pinnae</i> and bacterial pathogens such as <i>Mycobacterium</i> spp. We extensively sampled <i>P. nobilis</i> from Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain), a site where individuals still survive. Using conventional PCR, we found <i>Haplosporidium</i> spp. in 7.1% of mantle and faecal DNA samples in different individuals of <i>P. nobilis</i>. We identified and quantified <i>Haplosporidium pinnae</i> in <i>P. nobilis</i> using Sanger sequencing and qPCR. Faecal <i>H. pinnae</i> detection is non-invasive, unlike biopsies. Therefore, this non-lethal and non-invasive sampling method could contribute to the welfare of living populations, particularly in eutrophic environments, where they are prone to septicaemia. The use of faecal DNA analysis could be a major advance in epidemiology and recovery assessment studies of <i>P. nobilis</i>.
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