Morphological features of the inflammatory response in molluscs

Over the last few years, there has been a large increase in studying the biology and pathology of molluscs, predominantly in addressing the molecular patterns involved in their immune-mediated and inflammatory responses. Conversely, the literature-based diagnostic criteria concerning the morphology of the above phenomena still involves pathogenetic confusion and conflicting terminology. A comparison of bibliographic resources, such as the Abridged Glossary of Terms Used in Invertebrate Pathology and the National Status manual for molluscan histopathological examination and analysis from the NOAA, have revealed variability in the definitions of superimposable lesions, emphasising the need for further efforts in establishing standard terminology and methodologies in this field of study. This review suggests some possible solutions for overcoming the use of parallel terminologies in diagnosing inflammation in molluscs and also highlights conflicting features requiring further discussion.