Addition of inhibitor-producing bacteria to mass cultures of Argopecten purpuratus larvae (Lamarck, 1819)

Assays were carried out to test the feasibility of adding inhibitor-producing bacteria (IPB) to mass cultures of Argopecten purpuratus larvae with the aim of replacing the use of antibiotics to minimize deleterious effects of pathogenic bacteria in these cultures. Previously identified IPB (Vibrio sp. C33 and Pseudomonas sp. 11) and a newly identified Bacillus sp. (strain B2) were employed in both summer and winter seasons in a commercial hatchery in northern Chile (23°40′S). Results demonstrated that addition of the selected bacterial cultures did not adversely affect the scallop larvae. In all tests, addition of IPB permitted completion of the pelagic larval phase without the use antibiotic treatment. Observations were also made on changes in the bacterial flora of the larvae upon addition of the IPB strains.