Résumé
Because of the impact of infectious diseases in marine mollusc aquaculture, research has been initially developed in pathology in term of epidemiology and diagnosis. The establishment of basic techniques for in vitro and in vivo studies of host/pathogen interactions and the progresses in the field of cellular and molecular biology have permitted to undertake researches in immunology. Parallel to fundamental interest in understanding defense mecanisms of molluscs against pathogens, applications may be expected for resistant strains obtained by genetic engineering.