Jade MOURGUES

Marine epizootics are a major concern because they cause widespread mass mortality, which has serious consequences on the environment and the economy. These recurring epidemics are often difficult to understand and therefore to control, particularly because they involve multiple factors. The mortality of marine mussels in French farms could have different causes, one of which involves pathogenic bacteria belonging to Vibrio splendidus species, which can weaken the animals' immune defences and imbalance their microbiota.

The FACTORS project aims to study the involvement of environmental and physiological factors of the host in mussel diseases. In the context of climate change, the main objective is to explore the effect of rising temperatures and salinity on the blue mussel's response to pathogenic bacteria. 
At the same time, the role of the sex of the organisms in the establishment of the infection is being studied. FACTORS aims to answer three scientific questions:
1) What are the environmental conditions that allow the mussel to become infected by the pathogenic bacterium ?
2) Does sex have an effect on the mussel's response to the pathogenic bacterium?
And 3) Can we identify the driving factors that promote infection of blue mussels by the pathogen V. splendidus ? Ultimately, the project will provide knowledge and a better understanding of the causes of mussel mortality in aquaculture and natural beds, enabling the implementation of new strategies to improve aquaculture productivity and sustainable management of ecosystem quality.