Genomics, immune studies and diseases in bivalve aquaculture

Diseases are a critical bottleneck for the culture of bivalves causing important yield losses. Thestudy of bivalve diseases has relied on histological techniques and has focused on pathogenmorphology, the effect of external factors on the pathogens and infectivity, and on the development ofimmune and molecular diagnostic techniques. Recently, significant advances in the study of bivalvepathology have been reported; however, increased efforts using “omics tools” are required to explainkey physiological/immunological processes. Transcriptomic analysis in parallel with detailed functionalstudies of gene expression and cell biology in in vitro and in vivo experimental models are needed.Another important factor is the identification of “resistance traits” and a deeper understanding of theprocesses that contribute to the welfare of bivalves in culture. Additionally, the definition of "abnormalmortalities" is critical for managing and legislating bivalve aquaculture. The new technologies clearly“opens the door” for the directed manipulation of bivalves to improve the modern intensive aquaculturesystems. The future of bivalve research is exciting, and there is an obvious need to developmultidisciplinary international research studies involving research groups and growers organisations towork on shellfish pathology.