Histological sections illustrating the most severe pathological conditions affecting cockles in Galicia:

1. Infection with Marteilia cochillia. Left: histological section through the digestive gland of a healthy cockle.

Right: histological section through the digestive gland of a cockle infected with Marteilia cochillia;

multiple parasites (arrows) appear colonising the epithelium of the digestive tubules.

2. Disseminated neoplasia. Left: histological section through the gills of a healthy cockle.

Right: histological section through the gills of a cockle affected by disseminated neoplasia, showing

the connective tissue and the lumen of the branchial vessels heavily invaded by neoplastic cells.

3. Granulomatosis. Histological section through the gills of a cockle showing large granulomas (stars)

consisting of mases of haemocytes and cell surrounded by connective fibres and flattened cells.

4. Infection with a haplosporidan-like parasite. Histological section through the digestive gland of a cockle

showing uninucleate (arrow) and binucleate cells (double arrows) accumulated in the connective tissue.

5. Infestation with Bucephalus minimus. Histological section through the gonadal area of a cockle

showing multiple sporocysts of this digenean trematode invading the connective tissue of the host.

This international event aims to promote the dissemination of projects, studies and knowledge on issues related to the Sea and took place on 14-16th of November at Oporto (Portugal).