Search results for "Fish diseases"

Molecules and morphology reveal cryptic variation among digeneans infecting sympatric mullets in the Mediterranean.

2009

SUMMARYWe applied a combined molecular and morphological approach to resolve the taxonomic status of Saccocoelium spp. parasitizing sympatric mullets (Mugilidae) in the Mediterranean. Eight morphotypes of Saccocoelium were distinguished by means of multivariate statistical analyses: 2 of Saccocoelium obesum ex Liza spp.; 4 of S. tensum ex Liza spp.; and 2 (S. cephali and Saccocoelium sp.) ex Mugil cephalus. Sequences of the 28S and ITS2 rRNA gene regions were obtained for a total of 21 isolates of these morphotypes. Combining sequence data analysis with a detailed morphological and multivariate morphometric study of the specimens allowed the demonstration of cryptic diversity thus rejecting…

Follow-up trends of parasite community alteration in a marine fish after the Prestige oil-spill: shifting baselines?

2008

This study evaluates the follow-up trends in the composition and structure of the parasite communities in the marine sparid Boops boops after the Prestige oil-spill. A total of 400 fish comprising 11 seasonal samples was analyzed from three impacted localities on the Atlantic coast of Spain. A large number of parasite species was recovered only after the spill thus suggesting a substantial alteration of the marine food webs. Post-spill communities exhibited higher richness and abundance due to the significant changes in the abundance of the common species, the latter indicating accelerated parasite transmission rates. Multivariate analyses at two nested scales detected a directional trend i…

Host specificity of Argulus coregoni (Crustacea: Branchiura) increases at maturation.

2007

SUMMARYWe tested the hypothesis that host specificity in ectoparasites does not depend exclusively on the features of the host but also on surrounding habitats, using 2 fish ectoparasites, Argulus coregoni and A. foliaceus (Crustacea: Branchiura), occurring sympatrically in Finnish lakes. Although these parasites are considered to be of low specificity, we found that the larger of the 2 species, A. coregoni developed a pronounced preference for salmonid hosts at the beginning of maturation (defined by the presence of copulating specimens). Argulus foliaceus infects a much wider range of fish hosts. We showed that specialization of A. coregoni on salmonids does not necessarily result from in…

Efficacy of emamectin benzoate in the control of Argulus coregoni (Crustacea: Branchiura) on rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss.

2004

Efficacy of in-feed treatment with emamectin benzoate (Slice) for the control of ectoparasitic Argulus coregoni on rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss was tested under laboratory and field conditions. In both experiments fish were fed with fish feed to deliver a therapeutic dose of 0 (control) or 50 microg emamectin benzoate kg(-1) d(-1) (treatment) for a period of 7 d. After 3 d of challenge with A. coregoni in the laboratory, the infestation level in treated fish was lower than that observed in the controls (p0.001). Efficacy of 100% against newly hatched A. coregoni metanauplii and adults and 80% against juveniles was observed. In the field, trial medication was undertaken at 2 sections on…

Epizootiology of protozoans in farmed salmonids at northern latitudes

1997

Abstract Protozoan ectoparasites were examined in a northern salmonid fish farm over a 10-year period, June 1984–May 1994, by the same researcher, with similar catching and sampling procedures throughout. Husbandry procedures remained constant during the study, e.g., fingerlings were kept in steel tanks and yearlings in both steel tanks and earth ponds. Ichthyobodo necator, Chilodonella hexasticha and Ichthyophthirius multifilurs infections were treated with formalin, salt and malachite green-formalin baths, respectively, whenever any parasites were found. Altogether 10 790 randomly sampled salmon (Salmo solar), sea trout (S. trutta m. trutta) and brown trout (S. trutta m. lacustris) were s…

Finnish salmon resistant to Gyrodactylus salaris: a long-term study at fish farms.

1996

Abstract The occurrence of Gyrodactylus salaris on Baltic salmon ( Salmo salar ), sea trout ( S. trutta m. trutta ) and brown trout ( S. trutta m. lacustris ) was examined from 1984 to 1993 at 4 fish farms (A, B, C and D) that produce smolts for stocking in northern Finland. No G. salaris was found on the sea or brown trout, but it did occur on salmon for 6–7 years at farms B, C and D, the prevalences of infection being 9.5%, 17.7% and 8.8% for salmon yearlings and smolts during that time, respectively, but less than 1.2% for fingerlings at farms B and C. Only brood stock salmon were infected at farm A in 4 years. The abundances of G. salaris increased during the second winter of each year …

Evidence of enhanced bacterial invasion during Diplostomum spathaceum infection in European grayling, Thymallus thymallus (L.)

2006

Farmed grayling, Thymallus thymallus (L.), are susceptible to atypical Aeromonas salmonicida (aAS) infections. Interactions between bacteria and parasites were studied using grayling subjected to concomitant exposure to aAS bacteria and the digenean parasite Diplostomum spathaceum. Atypical AS was detected from fish by a combination of bacterial cultivation and polymerase chain reaction techniques. A detection level of 17 aAS cells per 100 mg intestine tissue sample was obtained. Concomitant bacterial exposure did not enhance the severity of grayling eye rupture and nuclear extrusion induced by D. spathaceum, but D. spathaceum invasion into grayling increased the proportion of fish carrying…

Immunostimulants in prevention of columnaris disease of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum).

2009

Chondroitin AC lyase activity is related to virulence of fish pathogenic Flavobacterium columnare.

2006

The virulence of eight Flavobacterium columnare strains was studied to find correlations between several virulence-related factors and virulence. Virulence was tested in vivo using rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). Suggested virulence-related factors such as production of the degradative enzyme chondroitin lyase, plasmid occurrence and adhesion capability were studied in vitro. Infection with the four most virulent strains resulted in 95-100% mortality within 114 h. Chondroitin lyase activity was found to be significantly related to the virulence of the strains at 25 degrees C and it was also shown to be temperature-dependent, being higher at 25 degrees C than at 20 degrees C. V…

Interactions between bacteria and Cryptosporidium molnari in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) under farm and laboratory conditions

2006

The possible interaction of Cryptosporidium molnari and bacteria in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) was studied. Epidemiological data from a pathological survey under farm conditions were analyzed. In addition, parasite and bacteria burdens were studied in experimental models in which naturally and experimentally parasitized fish were challenged with a particular strain of Vibrio harveyi (H57). All the bacteria species present were studied. Under farm conditions, the parasite was more prevalent when mortality or morbidity cases (study C) occurred than in randomly sampled fish (study B). In study C, parasite abundance was significantly higher in bacteria-negative fish, and total bacteria …