Produzione di radicali liberi dell'ossigeno in tessuti di Chamelea gallina Bivalvia, Veneridae) parassitati da Nematopsis sp. (Apicomplexa, Porosporidae). Indagini preliminari.

Recent studies have showed that one of the most common parasite of Chamelea gallina is Nematopsis sp, whose oocysts infect heavily the digestive gland and, above all, the gills of the bivalve. Notwithstanding the high density of the oocysts of the parasite in Chamelea gallina tissues, it is not clear pathological relevance, pathogenicity mechanisms and effects on the host survival of the parasite. In this study the effects of parasite presence on the ROS production and on the oxidative stress are reported, as it has been seen in other parasites. After observing oocyst density, tissues are stored in liquid nitrogen until the analyses of SOD activity, the antioxidant enzyme induced by superoxide anion presence. Result obtained show activity values comparable with the ones measured in other Adriatic bivalves, with fluctuations not significantly correlated with the oocyst density, almost similar in these preliminary observations.