Mass mortality in endangered fan mussels Pinna nobilis (Linnaeus 1758) caused by co-infection of Haplosporidium pinnae and multiple Vibrio infection in Çanakkale Strait, Turkey.

PURPOSE Pinna nobilis (fan mussel) is one of the most important endemic bivalve molluscs in the Mediterranean and mass mortality events were observed in these mussels in recent years. In this study, we report mass mortalities caused by Haplosporidium pinnae, which has been spreading in the Mediterranean for 3 years, and reached the Canakkale Strait, which is the entrance of the Marmara and the Black Sea. MATERIAL AND METHODS Field observations during sampling and subsequent histopathological, biochemical, genetic, and microbiological analyses were carried out. RESULTS These analyses showed that H. pinnae infection spread among the natural beds of P. nobilis, causing severe tissue damage and oxidative stress. Our phylogenetic analyses suggested that the parasite spread through the Mediterranean much faster than thought. The results showed that vibriosis originating from Vibrio coralliilyticus, Vibrio tubiashii, Vibrio mediterranei, and Vibrio hispanicus, acted together with H. pinnae in infected individuals and caused death. CONCLUSION It is highly probable that the spread of H. pinnae to the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea may occur earlier than expected, and it was concluded that mass deaths were caused by co-infection with H. pinnae and a geographically specific marine pathogen that can infect P. nobilis populations.