Shell repair in the clam Ruditapes philippinarum, affected by the Brown Ring Disease (BRD): a biochemical and serological study

For more than two decades, the edible clam Ruditapes philippinarum has been affected by the Brown Ring Disease (BRD), a bacterial infection characterized by the formation of a brown organic deposit in the internal side of the valves. Although this infection is often lethal, in some cases specimens can overcome it by remineralizing over the organic deposit. The goal of the present study is to compare biochemically and immunologically the shell matrices of repaired and healthy zones. Our data suggest that the repair zones exhibit certain variability, which would be the direct consequence of a modification of the secretory regime of calcifying tissues responsible of the repair process.