Disease Prevalence, Intensity, and Kin Structure Within the Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica, in Oyster Creek, Georgia

The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is both an ecologically and economically important bivalve species that has experienced drastic population declines do to overharvest and habitat degradation. Populations that are impacted by anthropogenic stressors are further driven down by infections with protists like Haplosporidium nelsoni (MSX) and Perkinsus marinus (Dermo). In order to determine the prevalence and intensity of these detrimental infections, a survey was performed in Oyster Creek, Georgia. Of the oysters collected, 80% of them were infected with a single protist or both at relatively low intensities. The infection intensity was variable throughout the creek, whereas the infection prevalence was not variable. Microsatellites were used in order to determine kinship within Oyster Creek and it was found that oysters that were closely related (i.e. full/half/quarter siblings) were more likely to be located on the same reef patch than on different patches