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In August 2018 a mass mortality of Pinna nobilis was registered in the Taranto seas. Histological and molecular analyses lead to consider a strong aetiological relationship between the mortalities recorded in Spain and the Italian ones, with the organs of the investigated specimens infected by different developmental cell stages elements very similar to Haplosporidium pinnae.

Canine prostatic carcinoma (PCa) is considered a relevant model for studying advanced, hormone refractory PCa in men. It has been proposed that cancer contains a minor population of cells that can selfrenew while simultaneously giving rise to tumour cells (cancer stem cells). Survivin is an acknowledged cancer therapy-resistance factor overexpressed in several tumour types, proposed as a valid cancer biomarker for human prostatic cancer for an early screening for malignancy. Sox9 is a stem cell marker expressed in several adult tissues, required for prostate development. Accumulating evidence indicates that it contributes to the development of human PCa. No studies have been published concerning the immunolocalization of survivin and Sox9 in canine prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and neoplasia.AIM: to evaluate the patterns and levels of expression of survivin and Sox9 in canine BPH and PCa, in order to correlate their expression with malignant histological features. immunhistochemistry with specific antibodies in a set of canine BPH and PCa. Survivin nuclear and rare cytoplasmic immunostaining were present among the basal/reserve cell layer of normal and hyperplastic prostatic lobules. An increase of survivin expression was observed in PCas compared with BPHs. 6/11 PCas showed rare positive nuclei, mainly among the “basaloid” neoplastic cells in the areas with a tubular-papillary arrangement. In the areas with a solid pattern the cytoplasmic immunostaining was more diffuse. Sox9 expression was absent in normal prostatic glands and in all BPHs. 6/9 cases of PCa were highly positive. Based on the role of survivin as a stem cell marker and the main role in proliferation of nuclear survivin, the positive cells among basal cell layer in normal and HBP cases could represent transit amplifying cells maintaining some stem cell proprieties. The increased survivin expression in Pcas would indicates the molecule as a valid prognostic marker. The absence of expression of Sox9 in the normal gland and all the BPHs suggests that Sox9 is not a stem cell marker of canine adult prostatic stem cells. The high expression observed in PCas clearly suggests an important role of the molecule in canine prostatic carcinogenesis and malignant progression. Further studies should be done in order to confirm this hypothesis.

HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 90 (HSP90) IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE HYPERPLASTIC AND NEOPLASTIC EVOLUTION OF THE CANINE PROSTATE The dog represents an important animal model for studying the human prostatic diseases, being exposed to the same environmental conditions and being one of the few species in which prostate cancer spontaneously occurs. In this study, we have evaluated the expression of HSP90 – marker of neoplastic transformation, regulating the androgen receptor activity – in canine Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and Prostatic Carcinoma (PCA). IHC has been performed on 24 samples (2 normal tissues, 17 BPH, 5 PCA). HSP90 expression was mild/moderate, mainly perinuclear, in normal tissues, with a progressive increase of staining intensity and diffuse cytoplasmic and nuclear immunoreactivity in BPH, PCA and metastatic lesions. By means of a semiquantitative analysis, grade 3 (≥ 10% - < 50% positive cells/total cells) was assigned to normal tissues, while 82.3% BPH cases and 100% PCA were scored as grade 4 (≥ 50% positive cells). Moreover, multifocal PIN (Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia) and PIA (Proliferative Inflammatory Atrophy) with similar immunoreactivity to PCA were identified among hyperplastic and neoplastic lesions. In conclusion, the high HSP90 expression in our cases demonstrates that this protein could be involved in the sequential steps leading to prostate cancerogenesis and neoplastic evolution. In addition, veterinary pathologists should pay special attention to recognize specific preneoplastic lesions (PIA, PIN) – underestimated in dog – also in those tissues that look benign

INTRODUCTION: Stranded cetaceans offer a unique opportunity for collecting data on the health status of dolphin and whale populations living in the open sea. We report herein the post-mortem findings observed in 7 Odontocetes found stranded between 2001 and 2004 on the Italian coastline. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), one striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) and one unidentified delphinid were investigated. During post-mortem examination, their tissues were formalin-fixed and subsequently processed for histopathology. Suitable histochemical techniques were applied on some specimens, with selected tissue sections being also submitted to immunohistochemistry for Morbillivirus and Papillomavirus antigen detection. RESULTS: Pneumonia was the most commonly encountered lesion, especially Halocercus delphini-associated bronchopneumonia. Additional findings were nephritis, hepatitis and Pholeter gastrophilus-associated gastritis. Granulomatous meningoencephalitis by Cladosporium spp. was observed in a female bottlenose dolphin, while papilloma-like lesions were observed on the rostrum of another female bottlenose dolphin, with no Papillomavirus antigen being detected. Immunohistochemistry yielded no evidence of Morbillivirus infection in any of the investigated cetaceans. CONCLUSIONS: In agreement with other Authors, pneumonia was a very frequent disease condition also in the cetaceans included in this study, in which mycotic meningoencephalitis by Cladosporium spp. may be regarded as a remarkable pathological finding.

We investigated immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of Hsp27, Hsp72, Hsp73 and Hsp90 and their role on overall survival (OS) in 3 normal canine mammary gland (NMG) and 30 mammary tumours (MT) (stages: in situ 10, locally invasive 10, with intravascular emboli 10). Tissues were immunostained using a streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase technique. A semiquantitative (absent, low, intermediate, high) IHC assessment was compared between NMG and MT and among stages by Chi square test. Influence on OS was tested by Log Rank Test. In MT, a significant increase of Hsp27 (P