Health assessment of a marine bivalve Ruditapes decussatus from the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia).

Metallothioneins (MTs), malonedialdehyde (MDA), and glycogen concentrations were determined in order to assess the health status of Ruditapes decussatus exposed to in situ contamination, showing the effects of time, site, and metal contamination on these three biomarkers. Metallothionein was positively correlated with Cd and Zn. If introduced in a multiple model, the factors site and time were shown to decrease significantly MT concentrations. MDA was inversely correlated with size of the animals and was affected by the factor time. Glycogen was inversely correlated with zinc and was affected by both site and time.This study constitutes a field-based validation of a multiparametric approach using specific and nonspecific biomarkers.