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Tissue targeting of the European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, using microencapsulated microbeads as a biological proxy

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Abstract

Expansion of the aquaculture industry has been accompanied by outbreaks of disease from an ever increasing range of pathogens. Such outbreaks pose serious limitations to the growth and sustainability of the seafood industry, necessitating the development of alternative methods to combat disease. Immunostimulants are currently being pursued as an effective alternative to the use of traditional antibiotics. However, for suspension feeding bivalves, an effective system whereby immunostimulants can be successfully delivered to the site of infection at appropriate times is lacking. In recent years, the process of microencapsulation using non-toxic and biodegradable coatings has been an effective and stable delivery system for the administration of probiotics. In this study, SMA microbeads encapsulated in alginate were used as a biological proxy for the delivery of immunostimulants to the European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis. Chitosan- and poly-l-lysine-coated and uncoated alginate microcapsules were used, and the route of intake and transportation to the various oyster tissue types was assessed histologically. Results demonstrated that bivalves readily ingest microalginates, which are broken up in the gut liberating the SMA microbeads. The SMA microbeads successfully cross the digestive epithelium and disperse into the surrounding tissue. The microbeads were also actively taken up by the oyster hemocytes. This study demonstrated that microencapsulation in alginate can serve as an efficient immunostimulant delivery system for bivalves, providing alternative treatment options for effective disease management and control.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the shellfish growers who contributed material for the study. The project BEADS (Bioengineered micro-encapsulation of active agents delivered to shellfish) was funded by the Seventh EU Framework Programme (FP7).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquaculture and Fisheries Development Centre, School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, Distillery Fields, North Mall, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland, UK

    G. Darmody, A. P. Maloy, S. A. Lynch, M. Prado-Alvarez & S. C. Culloty

  2. The Food and Environment Research Agency, Sand Hutton, York, Y041 1LZ, UK

    J. Cotterill & T. Wontner-Smith

  3. Centre of Applied Marine Biotechnology, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Port Rd, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, Ireland, UK

    A. P. Maloy

Authors
  1. G. Darmody
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  2. A. P. Maloy
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  3. S. A. Lynch
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  4. M. Prado-Alvarez
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  5. J. Cotterill
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  6. T. Wontner-Smith
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  7. S. C. Culloty
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Correspondence to S. A. Lynch.

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Darmody, G., Maloy, A.P., Lynch, S.A. et al. Tissue targeting of the European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, using microencapsulated microbeads as a biological proxy. Aquacult Int 23, 647–659 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-014-9842-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-014-9842-y

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