A novel bacterial infection of the edible crab, Cancer pagurus

• This reports a new bacterial disease of the edible crab, Cancer pagurus.
• Infected crabs have large numbers of bacteria-like particles in the haemolymph and fixed phagocytes.
• The bacterium was found to be similar to the causative agent of “milky disease” in other species of crabs.

There are few reports of bacterial diseases in crabs. A juvenile edible crab (Cancer pagurus) with a rickettsial-like infection was found in the intertidal zone at Freshwater East in South West Wales in July, 2012. Large numbers of bacteria-like particles were found in the haemolymph and within fixed phagocytes of the hepatopancreas. Molecular sequencing and subsequent phylogenetic analysis showed that the infectious agent was a member of the order Rhizobiales and therefore distinct to bacteria classified as rickettsia.

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