A novel bacterial infection of the edible crab, Cancer pagurus

[Display omitted] •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.