Haemocytic neoplasia in Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) in the Slovene Adriatic Sea

Type Article
Date 2013-03
Language English
Author(s) Gombac Mitja1, Sitar Rosvita2, Pogacnik Milan1, Arzul IsabelleORCID3, Jencic Vlasta4
Affiliation(s) 1 : Vet Fac Ljubljana, Inst Pathol Forens & Adm Vet Med, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
2 : Vet Fac Ljubljana, Natl Vet Inst, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
3 : IFREMER, Lab Genet & Pathol, La Tremblade, France.
4 : Vet Fac Ljubljana, Inst Breeding & Hlth Care Game Fishes & Bees, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Source Marine And Freshwater Behaviour And Physiology (1023-6244) (Taylor & Francis Ltd), 2013-03 , Vol. 46 , N. 2 , P. 135-143
DOI 10.1080/10236244.2013.782736
WOS© Times Cited 8
Keyword(s) haemocytic neoplasia, Mediterranean mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis, Slovene Sea
Abstract The health status of cultured and wild Mediterranean mussels in the Slovene Sea has so far been unexplored. Initially, 1280 adult Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), 960 from a shellfish farm and 320 from natural beds, were collected over a one-year period. Water temperature, oxygenation and salinity were measured at each sampling. Mussels were measured and weighted to calculate the condition index and microscopically examined for the presence of haemocytic neoplasia. Haemocytic neoplasia was detected in 14 mussels (1.1%) with a higher prevalence in cultured mussels. Neoplastic cells singularly infiltrated the connective tissue, in small foci or diffusely. Necrosis and multifocal atrophy of digestive tubules were noticed in mussels with diffuse neoplasia, whereas severe haemocytic infiltration of connective tissue was seen in mussels with single neoplastic cells. Haemocytic neoplasia was more frequently observed in spring and autumn. The average condition index of mussels with haemocytic neoplasia was slightly higher than in healthy ones. This is the first report of haemocytic neoplasia in Mediterranean mussels in the Northern Adriatic Sea. The disease occurs only sporadically and to date no significant impact on the mussel population has been noted.
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