Other Disorders

Abstract

Neoplasia are growth disturbances characterized by excessive, abnormal proliferation of cells, independent of normal-regulating mechanisms of the animal and persisting after termination of the stimulus that initiated growth. Over lasts years there has been an increase in research into tumors of invertebrates. In cephalopods, reports on the incidence of the tumors or neoplasia are scarce. They have been described as hard compact and homogeneous nodules of connective tissue located in the mantle or at the base of suckers. The aetiological origin of tumors observed in cephalopods is unknown, but it could be related to aquarium maintenance. Other injurious agents, including infectious (virus, bacteria, or parasites) and xenobiotics, may also have produced the lesions. In occasions inflammatory processes have been associated with tumors with severe oedema associated. Inflammation is part of the biological response to body tissues to harmful stimuli such as pathogens, damaged cells or effect of xenobiotics. The inflammatory focus is characterized by exudation with interstitial fluid changes and hemocytic migration. Some inflammatory lesions include fibrosis and necrotic cells in the affected area, with loss of histological features and even organ architecture. All this changes have been observed in cephalopods in inflammatory reactions originated by infection with different pathogens. The chapter covers a selection of the reported cases of disorders related to neoplasia and inflammation.

Histologic lesions of cestodiasis in octopuses

“…had multifocal cystic cavities in the gastrointestinal submucosa and tunica muscularis that contained various life stages including sporozoites, immature sporocysts, macrogamonts, and microgamonts. 6,11 The Aggregata spp. infection was associated with infiltration of low to moderate numbers of hemocytes that effaced portions of intestinal mucosal epithelium and expanded the tunica muscularis and connective tissue of the intestines.…”

“…13 Another common cause of stress and immune modulation includes the capture, collection, and transport of these animals from the wild. 6 Captivity-associated stressors are often multifactorial, with some documented factors including poor water quality, high stocking density, self-induced trauma, and inappropriate tank size, all of which can contribute to a compromised immune system. 6,14 Inflammation associated with larval cestodiasis was characterized by an accumulation of hemocytes, which are the primary immune effector cell of cephalopods.…”

“…6 Captivity-associated stressors are often multifactorial, with some documented factors including poor water quality, high stocking density, self-induced trauma, and inappropriate tank size, all of which can contribute to a compromised immune system. 6,14 Inflammation associated with larval cestodiasis was characterized by an accumulation of hemocytes, which are the primary immune effector cell of cephalopods. Inflammation has been demonstrated in many parasitic infections of octopuses.…”

“…Detailed texts on the anatomy and histology of octopuses are available. 3,6 Approximately 230 parasitic species, across numerous taxa, have been reported to infect cephalopods. 12 The most commonly reported parasites of cephalopods include the coccidian genus Aggregata, ciliate prostistans of Ancistrocomidae and Opalinopsidae, protozoal flagellates of Ichthyobodo spp., various species of endosymbiont dicyemids, several monogeneans, trematodes such as Derogenes varicus and Lecithochririum sp., larvae of the cestode orders Tetraphyllidea and Trypanorhynchidea, nematode larvae of the ascarid Anisakis simplex and Anisakis pegreffii, and copepod crustaceans such as Cholydia intermedia, lichomolgids, and the larval stages of Pennella varians.…”

“…12 The most commonly reported parasites of cephalopods include the coccidian genus Aggregata, ciliate prostistans of Ancistrocomidae and Opalinopsidae, protozoal flagellates of Ichthyobodo spp., various species of endosymbiont dicyemids, several monogeneans, trematodes such as Derogenes varicus and Lecithochririum sp., larvae of the cestode orders Tetraphyllidea and Trypanorhynchidea, nematode larvae of the ascarid Anisakis simplex and Anisakis pegreffii, and copepod crustaceans such as Cholydia intermedia, lichomolgids, and the larval stages of Pennella varians. 6,9,15 Parasites are acquired from the marine environment and can infect cephalopods through ingestion of parasitized food items (eg, crustaceans). Numerous arthropods and helminth species infect both fish and cephalopods with low host specificity; however, cephalopods serve as definitive host to certain metazoan and protozoan parasitic species, such as members of the subfamily Cholidyinae, copepod organisms, and Aggregata spp.…”