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Pathogens
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Spontaneous Diseases of Mollusks
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Spontaneous Diseases of Mollusks

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 15676

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Gionata De Vico

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. University of Naples Federico II – Dept. of Biology
2. DVM, dipl. ECAAH (European College of Acquatic Animal Health - EBVS)
Interests: Comparative Pathology; Mollusk Diseases
Prof. Dr. Francesca Carella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University of Naples Federico II
Interests: Comparative pathology of aquatic animals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mollusks are among the most abundant invertebrate organisms in marine and freshwater ecosystems: they perform important ecological functions, provide direct benefits to modern cultures as food, building materials and jewelry, as well as indirect benefits by stabilizing shorelines and mitigating nutrient pollution. Despite past and current efforts to prevent the occurrence of diseases of mollusks, new outbreaks continue to be recorded and, in endemic zones, diseases continue to be a major constraint to the industry and the ecosystems. The objective of this Special Issue is to collect manuscripts dealing with spontaneous diseases of mollusks, including diagnostic procedures and methods of disease control. Studies focusing on bacterial diseases, viral diseases, mycoses, parasitic diseases, nutritional disorders, oncology, and all pathological events related to the environment, genetics, toxicology, nutrition and reproduction will be accepted. Manuscripts describing how histopathology, electron microscopy, molecular techniques and novel diagnostic methods, can give an important contribution to diagnosis, are encouraged. Eventual focus on the ecological relevance of mollusks diseases will be also considered.

Prof. Dr. Gionata De Vico
Prof. Francesca Carella
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Mollusks Diseases
  • Histopathology
  • Electron microscopy
  • Molecular methods
  • Diagnosis
  • Diseases ecology

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 2503 KiB  
Article
Gut Symbiotic Microbial Communities in the IUCN Critically Endangered Pinna nobilis Suffering from Mass Mortalities, Revealed by 16S rRNA Amplicon NGS
by Athanasios Lattos, Ioannis A. Giantsis, Dimitrios Karagiannis, John A. Theodorou and Basile Michaelidis
Pathogens 2020, 9(12), 1002; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9121002 - 29 Nov 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2715
Abstract
Mass mortality events due to disease outbreaks have recently affected almost every healthy population of fan mussel, Pinna nobilis in Mediterranean Sea. The devastating mortality of the species has turned the interest of the research towards the causes of these events. After the [...] Read more.
Mass mortality events due to disease outbreaks have recently affected almost every healthy population of fan mussel, Pinna nobilis in Mediterranean Sea. The devastating mortality of the species has turned the interest of the research towards the causes of these events. After the haplosporidan infestation and the infection by Mycobacterium sp., new emerging pathogens have arisen based on the latest research. In the present study, a metagenomic approach of 16S rRNA next generation sequencing (NGS) was applied in order to assess the bacterial diversity within the digestive gland of diseased individuals as well as to carry out geographical correlations among the biodiversity of microbiome in the endangered species Pinna nobilis. The specimens originated from the mortalities occurred in 2019 in the region of Greece. Together with other bacterial genera, the results confirmed the presence of Vibrio spp., assuming synergistic effects in the mortality events of the species. Alongside with the presence of Vibrio spp., numerous bacterial genera were detected as well, including Aliivibrio spp., Photobacterium spp., Pseudoalteromonas spp., Psychrilyobacter spp. and Mycoplasma spp. Bacteria of the genus Mycoplasma were in high abundance particularly in the sample originated from Limnos island representing the first time recorded in Pinna nobilis. In conclusion, apart from exclusively the Haplosporidan and the Mycobacterium parasites, the presence of potentially pathogenic bacterial taxa detected, such as Vibrio spp., Photobactrium spp. and Alivibrio spp. lead us to assume that mortality events in the endangered Fan mussel, Pinna nobilis, may be attributed to synergistic effects of more pathogens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spontaneous Diseases of Mollusks)
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21 pages, 4216 KiB  
Article
Epidemiology of Noble Pen Shell (Pinna nobilis L. 1758) Mass Mortality Events in Adriatic Sea Is Characterised with Rapid Spreading and Acute Disease Progression
by Tomislav Šarić, Ivan Župan, Serena Aceto, Grazia Villari, Dušan Palić, Gionata De Vico and Francesca Carella
Pathogens 2020, 9(10), 776; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9100776 - 23 Sep 2020
Cited by 35 | Viewed by 3705
Abstract
From May to October 2019, multiple mass mortality events (MMEs) of Pinna nobilis were observed along Croatian coastline starting from the south-east and rapidly progressing in north-western direction. Time dynamics of the MMEs closely followed general speed and direction patterns of surface sea-currents, [...] Read more.
From May to October 2019, multiple mass mortality events (MMEs) of Pinna nobilis were observed along Croatian coastline starting from the south-east and rapidly progressing in north-western direction. Time dynamics of the MMEs closely followed general speed and direction patterns of surface sea-currents, advancing approximately 350 km in less than 3 months. Surveillance, clinical evaluation, and sample collection were performed on multiple sites with various degrees of mortality rates. Moribund P. nobilis individuals were collected and subjected to pathological, molecular, and microscopical investigation. Affected animals were positive for Mycobacterium in 70% of the individuals, and Haplosporidium pinnae was present in 58% of the cases. Observed pathological lesions were most severe where concurrent presence of both pathogens was confirmed (in 45.8% of moribund individuals). Moderate to strong lesions were observed in animals positive for Mycobacterium only (25% of cases), and lesions were absent or minor to moderate when only H. pinnae was confirmed (16% of cases). Considering the rapid and severe spread of the MMEs, the areas less exposed to major sea currents appeared to be at lower risk of pathogen transmission. Surveillance activities along the Croatian coastline identified several P. nobilis populations in such “lower risk” areas without apparent mortality or clinical symptoms. Such areas are of particular interest as source of potentially healthy individuals to support active recovery actions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spontaneous Diseases of Mollusks)
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12 pages, 1421 KiB  
Article
Histopathological and Molecular Study of Pacific Oyster Tissues Provides Insights into V. aestuarianus Infection Related to Oyster Mortality
by Daniela Mandas, Fulvio Salati, Marta Polinas, Marina Antonella Sanna, Rosanna Zobba, Giovanni Pietro Burrai, Alberto Alberti and Elisabetta Antuofermo
Pathogens 2020, 9(6), 492; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9060492 - 20 Jun 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2879
Abstract
Consumer preference for healthy and sustainable food products has been steadily increasing in recent years. Bivalve mollusks satisfy these characteristics and have captured ever-increasing market shares. However, the expansion of molluscan culture in worldwide and global trade have favored the spread of pathogens [...] Read more.
Consumer preference for healthy and sustainable food products has been steadily increasing in recent years. Bivalve mollusks satisfy these characteristics and have captured ever-increasing market shares. However, the expansion of molluscan culture in worldwide and global trade have favored the spread of pathogens around the world. Combined with environmental changes and intensive production systems this has contributed to the occurrence of mass mortality episodes, thus posing a threat to the production of different species, including the Pacific oyster Crassotrea gigas. In the San Teodoro lagoon, one of the most devoted lagoons to extensive Pacific oyster aquaculture in Sardinia, a mortality outbreak was observed with an estimated 80% final loss of animal production. A study combining cultural, biomolecular and histopathological methods was conducted: (1) to investigate the presence of different Vibrio species and OsHV-1 in selected oyster tissues (digestive gland, gills, and mantle); (2) to quantify Vibrio aestuarianus and to evaluate the severity of hemocyte infiltration in infected tissues; (3) to produce post-amplification data and evaluating ToxR gene as a target for phylogenetic analyses. Results provide new insights into V. aestuarianus infection related to oyster mortality outbreaks and pave the way to the development of tools for oyster management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spontaneous Diseases of Mollusks)
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14 pages, 3830 KiB  
Article
Microbiological and Histological Analysis for the Evaluation of Farmed Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) Health Status, in Coastal Areas of Italy
by Roberta Battistini, Katia Varello, Valeria Listorti, Michela Zambon, Giuseppe Arcangeli, Elena Bozzetta, Danila Raffaella Francese, Carlo Ercolini and Laura Serracca
Pathogens 2020, 9(5), 395; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9050395 - 21 May 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3183
Abstract
Shellfish farming is a relevant economic activity in Italy. The Gulf of La Spezia is one of the major production areas for mussels: the area is characterized by the presence of numerous human activities that could harm the quality of seawater. Additionally, the [...] Read more.
Shellfish farming is a relevant economic activity in Italy. The Gulf of La Spezia is one of the major production areas for mussels: the area is characterized by the presence of numerous human activities that could harm the quality of seawater. Additionally, the presence of potentially pathogenic microorganisms may influence the health status of animals, which must be constantly monitored. To have a clear view of the health conditions of the mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) farmed in this area, microbiological, parasitological, and histological analyses were performed. The study was conducted from November 2016 to October 2017. Overall, despite the presence of potentially pathogenic microorganisms for mussels, abnormal mortality rates were not reported during the monitoring period and the histological examination revealed no significant lesions. Our study confirms that studying different aspects together is a useful tool for assessing the health conditions of mussels and points out the importance of adverse environmental conditions for the expression of the pathogenicity of microorganisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spontaneous Diseases of Mollusks)
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8 pages, 1088 KiB  
Article
The Mediterranean Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) as Intermediate Host for the Anisakid Sulcascaris sulcata (Nematoda), a Pathogen Parasite of the Mediterranean Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)
by Mario Santoro, Erica Marchiori, Marialetizia Palomba, Barbara Degli Uberti, Federica Marcer and Simonetta Mattiucci
Pathogens 2020, 9(2), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9020118 - 13 Feb 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2572
Abstract
Sulcascaris sulcata (Anisakidae), a pathogenic nematode of sea turtles, may cause ulcerous gastritis with different degrees of severity. Previous studies demonstrated a high prevalence of infection in the Mediterranean loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), although no data on the potential intermediate hosts [...] Read more.
Sulcascaris sulcata (Anisakidae), a pathogenic nematode of sea turtles, may cause ulcerous gastritis with different degrees of severity. Previous studies demonstrated a high prevalence of infection in the Mediterranean loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), although no data on the potential intermediate hosts of this nematode has been published thus far from the Mediterranean basin. Here, using molecular analyses, we demonstrated that the cross sections of nematode larvae observed histologically in Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) collected from a farm along the Tyrrhenian coast of southern Italy belong to S. sulcata. The BLAST analysis of sequences at the ITS2 region of rDNA and mtDNA cox2 gene loci here obtained from samples of two Mediterranean mussels containing nematode larvae showed 100% homology with those at the same gene loci from the adults of S. sulcata collected from the Mediterranean Sea and deposited in GenBank. To our knowledge, this study is the first to present data on a potential intermediate host of S. sulcata in the Mediterranean basin and to report a nematode parasite from the Mediterranean mussel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spontaneous Diseases of Mollusks)
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