Histopathology and stress biomarkers in the clam Venerupis philippinarum from the Venice Lagoon (Italy).
The aim of this study was to evaluate the histomorphology and the stress response in the bivalve Venerupis philippinarum sampled in four differently polluted sites of the Venice Lagoon (Palude del Monte, Marghera, Ca' Roman and Val di Brenta). This species is often used as bioindicator of environmental pollution since it can bioaccumulate a large variety of pollutants because of its filter feeding. Chemical analyses for heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Hg and Pb) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were performed on whole soft tissues of V. philippinarum. The histological evaluation of clams revealed the presence of Perkinsus sp. infection in animals from all sites, although a very high prevalence of parasites was evidenced in clams from Ca' Roman. Perkinsus sp. were systemically distributed in the mantle, in the intestine and digestive gland, in gonads and gills. The trophozoites of Perkinsus sp. were found isolated or in cluster surrounded by a heavy hemocitical response. Haemocytes always exhibited an immunopositivity to cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) and nitrotyrosine (NT) antibodies. The digestive gland of animals from Palude del Monte showed the highest malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, whereas clams from Ca' Roman exhibited the highest quantity of metallothioneins.
['Boscolo Papo|Michele|M|', 'Bertotto|Daniela|D|', 'Quaglio|Francesco|F|', 'Vascellari|Marta|M|', 'Pascoli|Francesco|F|', 'Negrato|Elena|E|', 'Binato|Giovanni|G|', 'Radaelli|Giuseppe|G|']
D056893:Alveolata D000818:Animals D015415:Biomarkers D049872:Bivalvia D004784:Environmental Monitoring D007558:Italy D008315:Malondialdehyde D019216:Metals, Heavy D018384:Oxidative Stress D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances D014018:Tissue Distribution D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Stress biomarkers Clam Histology Haemocytes Perkinsosis