Introduction

Abstract

Cephalopods are valuable seafood for human consumption, and some of them are good candidates for aquaculture. In addition, they have evolved many characteristic features that make them interesting models for research. The recent inclusion of cephalopods in the Directive 2010/EU regulates the use of animals for scientific purposes and obliges cephalopod researchers to promote the best health and welfare practices during aquarium maintenance or aquaculture procedures. The identification of diseases of cephalopods, and the pathogens that cause them, is consequently of major interest to improve cephalopod welfare and husbandry. This work has been designed as a short, easy to follow ‘handbook,’ with the aim of presenting fundamental aspects of the anatomical and histological structures as well as the identification of different pathogens, the resulting histopathology, and the diagnosis of diseases in cephalopods. We hope it will provide a useful contribution that will also encourage marine pathologists, parasitologists, veterinarians and those involved in fishery sanitary assessment, aquarium maintenance, and aquaculture practice to increase our knowledge about the pathology of cephalopods further.