28th ANNUAL EASTERN FISH HEALTH WORKSHOP April 21-25, 2003 Calcinosis In Long Island Sound Lobsters During The Summer Of 2002 Alistair D.M. Dove1, Carl P. LoBue2 and Paul R. Bowser3 1Department of Microbiology and Imunology, Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. Marine Disease Pathology and Research Consortium.  Marine Sciences Research Center, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook NY 11794; 2New York  Department of Environmental Conservation, 205 Belle Meade Rd, East Setauket NY 11733; 3Department of Microbiology and Immunology.  Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.  Ithaca, Y 14853. A new disease of lobsters that caused mortalities in the wild is described as a form of calcinosis.  A significant number of moribund and dead lobsters were reported to state authorities by lobster fishermen in Long Island Sound, New York, during the summer of 2002.  An orange discoloration of the abdomen, lethargy, an excess of epibionts and poor post-capture survival characterized morbid lobsters.  On necropsy, severe extensive multifocal or diffuse mineralized granulomatous inflammation of the gills and antennal glands was the most striking pathology.  In the gills, granulomas were frequently lodged in filaments, resulting in congestion, ischemia and coagulative necrosis of gill tissues.  In the antennal glands, granulomas were concentrated along the border between the filtration and resorption zones of the organ.  Affected lobsters lacked observable reserve inclusion cells (energy storage cells) and thus appeared to be either malnourished or metabolically exhausted.  No significant pathogens were recovered from diseased individuals, suggesting that the disease was of a metabolic origin.  In lobsters with early stage disease, granulomas were focused around calcium carbonate (aragonite) crystals.  Aragonite crystals were identified by their spheroid shape, radial striations, clear to golden brown coloration and strong birefringence.  In early stage individuals, naked aragonite crystals were observed, whereas in later stage individuals, aragonite crystals were observed to be at the center of granulomas.  In most cases, the granulomas had continued to mineralize in an amorphous fashion.  It is not yet clear why this disease occurred, but it may be related to anomalously high sea bottom temperatures in Long Island Sound (~23ºC) during the summer of 2002 and associated disruptions of the calcium and respiratory chemistry of lobsters in favor of deposition of calcium minerals in soft tissues. Return to 28th Annual Eastern Fish Health Workshop Return to Leetown Science Center Home Page