Abstract
Bivalve molluscs are key components of the estuarine environments as contributors
to the trophic chain, and as filter –feeders, for maintaining ecosystem integrity.
Further, clams, oysters, and scallops are commercially exploited around the world
both as traditional local shellfisheries, and as intensive or semi–intensive farming
systems. During the past decades, populations of those species deemed of
environmental or commercial interest have been subject to close monitoring given
the realization that these can suffer significant decline, sometimes irreversible, due
to overharvesting, environmental pollution, or disease. Protozoans of the
genera Perkinsus, Haplosporidium, Marteilia, and Bonamia are currently recognized
as major threats for natural and farmed bivalve populations. Since their identification,
however, the variable publication rates of research studies addressing these
parasitic diseases do not always appear to reflect their highly significant
environmental and economic impact. Here we analyzed the peer– reviewed literature
since the initial description of these parasites with the goal of identifying potential
milestone discoveries or achievements that may have driven the intensity of the
research in subsequent years, and significantly increased publication rates. Our
analysis revealed that after initial description of the parasite as the etiological agent
of a given disease, there is a time lag before a maximal number of yearly
publications are reached. This has already taken place for most of them and has
been followed by a decrease in publication rates over the last decade (20– to 30–
year lifetime in the literature). Autocorrelation analyses, however, suggested that
advances in parasite purification and culture methodologies positively drive
publication rates, most likely because they usually lead to novel molecular tools and
resources, promoting mechanistic studies. Understanding these trends should help
researchers in prioritizing research efforts for these and other protozoan parasites,
together with their development as model systems for further basic and translational
research in parasitic diseases.
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