Rickettsia-like organisms in the blue-eyed plecostomus, Panaque suttoni (Eigenmann & Eigenmann)

Abstract. Intracytoplasmic organisms resembling rickettsia were observed in tissues of two blue-eyed plecostoitius, Panaqae suttoni (Eigenmann & Eigenmann), a tropical freshwater fish. Gross lesions were limited to renomegaly and splenomegaly. Cytopathological and histopathological examination of the various tissues revealed numerous small, discrete, coccoid organisms in the cytoplasm of monocytes as well as tissue macrophages of the spleen, heart, kidney and sometimes liver. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed that these organisms were within membrane-bound vacuoles and had a morphology resembling rickettsia.     

Histopathological changes in the gills and liver of Prochilodus lineatus from the Salado River basin (Santa Fe, Argentina)

This study evaluated the histopathological changes in gills and liver of Prochilodus lineatus inhabiting the Salado River basin. Fish were collected in four different sampling stations. The histological lesions in the tissues were examined under light microscopy and evaluated with quantitative analyses. The morphometric analysis of the gills showed a significant shortening of secondary lamellae and a lower percentage of area for gas exchange in fish from station 1 (an urban area, located near the mouth of the Salado River) in comparison with fish gills from the reference site (station 4, a relatively pristine area). Moreover, a significantly higher area occupied with necrotic foci and the occurrence of an important inflammatory response were observed in fish liver of station 1 than the samples caught from other stations. Thus, histopathological evidences showed differences among sites, which could be related to different environmental conditions.     

高不饱和脂肪酸（HUFAs）在淡水鱼类中的营养作用研究进展

鱼粉、鱼油资源的短缺促使全球水产养殖业积极寻找其替代原料,而探究鱼粉、鱼油与其替代物之间的差异尤为重要,其中最主要的差异就是高不饱和脂肪酸(highly unsaturated fatty acids,HUFAs)是否存在及其含量多少。HUFAs是一类碳原子数目≥20、双键数≥3的脂肪酸,具有为动物提供能量、构成细胞膜组分、形成高生物活性物质、调控脂质代谢和免疫功能等重要作用,主要存在于鱼油和某些类别的微藻中。淡水鱼类具备自身合成HUFAs的能力,因此,一般认为HUFAs不是淡水鱼类的必需脂肪酸,无需通过饲料提供。但已有研究指出,饲料中添加一定量的HUFAs能够对淡水鱼类产生积极的营养作用,表明淡水鱼类的脂肪酸营养理论尚需进一步完善。本文综述了HUFAs在淡水鱼类生长、脂质代谢、健康免疫、繁殖特性等方面发挥作用的相关研究结果,明确提出淡水鱼类需要摄取一定水平的外源性HUFAs,指出在当前淡水鱼饲料中普遍使用HUFAs相对缺乏的蛋白源和油脂源的背景之下,HUFAs对淡水鱼类的作用应受到关注。最后,本文对今后淡水鱼类HUFAs营养的研究方向,以及新的HUFAs油脂源的开发前景进行了展望。     

Feed preferences of Salminus brasiliensis (Pisces, Characidae) larvae in fish ponds

Feed preferences of dorado, Salminus brasiliensis, in the early stages of life was studied in larvae, stocked 5 days after hatching in three earthen commercial ponds (810 m², 900 m² and 1480 m²) at a density of 30 m^− 2. Larvae were fed on natural food from ponds supplemented with a commercial ration (40% crude protein), and for 12 days fish samples were taken daily in the morning and in the afternoon from each pond to analyze the food items present in the diet. Zooplankton available in the environment was also analyzed. Feeding was intensive since 94% of the larvae guts examined contained food. Since the commercial diet was not found in the dorado guts, the natural diet dominated the artificial food, but the cannibalistic behavior typically found in laboratory conditions was not observed. Insect larvae and cladocerans were the main prey items found in the gut of the larvae. In fish ponds dorado larvae can be considered a generalist feeder, since small amounts of different food items were consumed, but they tend to specialize in some items, according to their developmental stage.     

Hormone-induced spawning of the Australian freshwater fish Murray cod, Maccullochella peeli (Mitchell) (Percichthyidae)

Murray cod, Maccullochella peeli, originally captured from the wild, underwent normal gonadal development in earthen ponds. Handling of broodfish in the 3 months before a breeding season caused atresia and resorption of oocytes in most females. Cod were removed from the ponds when the water temperature reached 20°C during spring, and final oocyte maturation and ovulation were induced in mature females by injecting 1000 or 2000 IU/kg human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) or 2–5 mg/kg of a preparation of the pituitary gland from common carp (CPG). Control treatments and dosages of 100–750 IU/kg HCG did not induce ovulation. Broodfish were held at 21 ± 1°C in 2000-l tanks after injection. The time of stripping and fertilization of Murray cod eggs was an important factor determining their hatchability. There was generally high post-fertilization mortality of eggs stripped within 1 h or between 4 and 6 h of ovulation, but high hatchability of eggs stripped 2–3 h after ovulation. The mean hatchability of eggs stripped 48.5–49.5 h after the injection of 1000 IU/kg HCG was 79.8%, but there were significantly lower mean hatchabilities of eggs stripped after 46–48 h and 50–52 h, as well as after the injection of 2000 IU/kg HCG. Results using CPG were variable. Possible reasons for the high post-fertilization mortality of Murray cod eggs are discussed, and techniques for broodfish handling, injection, stripping and the fertilization and incubation of eggs are presented.     

Potential effects of global warming on northern European freshwater fish and fisheries

Abstract Global warming is expected to result in considerable changes in northern European freshwater fish populations, fisheries and aquaculture. Shifts towards cyprinid and percid dominance in fish assemblages are expected, together with a decrease and collapse of salmonid and other coldwater fish populations. Most of the evident changes will occur in shallow lakes, where no thermal stratification occurs. The potential ranges of some fish species will shift northwards but pronounced changes will occur in the relative abundance of individual fish species. Total fish production will increase but because of changed composition of fish communities the commercial and recreational value of catches will decrease. Salmonid aquaculture productivity will increase provided that fish farmers adapt to new circumstances and cold, oxygenated water is available in larger quantities during summer.     

Parasitism, water temperature and life history characteristics of the freshwater fish Gobiomorphus breviceps Stokell (Eleotridae)

Abstract – Life history traits can vary among populations of the same fish species in response to selective pressures exerted by the local environment. Here we used inter-population comparisons to investigate the effects of parasitism and variability in water temperature on life history traits in a New Zealand freshwater fish, the upland bully. Although age and size at maturity varied among populations, they were not significantly related to either temperature regime or average parasite load. Trade-offs between egg size and clutch size were only apparent in one of the seven populations when populations were analyzed separately but became clear when all data were pooled. However, neither average population clutch size or egg size was related to the population's mean parasite load or the local temperature regime. Although the latter two parameters may influence other life history variables, such as the number of clutches produced per season and the partitioning of eggs among clutches, there was no evidence that they influenced life history strategies of the upland bully populations investigated here. ^Note     

Induced breeding and larval rearing of the endangered Australian freshwater fish trout cod, Maccullochella macquariensis (Cuvier) (Percichthyidae)

Abstract. The endangered Australian freshwater fish trout cod, Maccullochella macquariensis (Cuvier), was the subject of a captive breeding programme to produce fry for reintroduction into the wild. Trout cod broodfish were maintained in earthen ponds for up to 5 years and underwent gonadal maturation each spring but did not spawn in the ponds. Infestations of the protozoan parasite Chilodonella hexasticha caused the death of at least 21 broodfish. Mature fish, removed from ponds when water temperatures had reached or exceeded 16°C, had a higher proportion of atretic oocytes and fewer fish spawned successfully compared to fish removed at lower temperatures. Ovulation was induced by a single injection of 1000–3000 iu/kg HCG. Between 1188 and 11338 eggs ranging from 2·5 to 3·6 mm in diameter were stripped from individual fish. Hatching commenced on days 5–9 and continued for up to 10 days (at 15·5–23°C). Larvae commenced feeding on days 21–25. Trout cod larvae were grown out to fry (363.3–48.6mm total length [TL]) in fertilized fry rearing ponds then released. Between 1986 and 1989, 8420 trout cod fry were released into several sites in the upper Murray River and upper Murrumbidgee River, and reports indicate that released fish are surviving.     

Histopathological and ecological aspects of Henneguya and Myxobolus (Myxosporea) infections in Acanthopagrus australis (Günther) (Pisces: Sparidae) from Moreton Bay, Australia

Abstract. Sporulated plasmodia of Henneguya sp. infected the gill filaments, interhemibranch septum, gut and other microhabitats of Acanthopagrus australis in Moreton Bay, southern Queensland, whereas Myxobolus sp. infected only the gut. There was usually no inflammatory response, but some plasmodia in the gill filaments were associated with a granulomatous, predominantly lymphoid, response that was not determined by either parasite maturity, or sex and size of fish or season. There was a microhabitat shift in branchial Henneguya infection from predominantly gill filament in juvenile bream to gill septum in older fish. The highest prevalences of Henneguya were in the southern part of Moreton Bay, but trends in seasonal infection and prevalences in relation to size and sex of fish were similar in the western and southern parts of the bay. This suggested a widespread distribution of the putative annelid alternate host in Moreton Bay, with highest densities in the southern part. Myxobolus infection was most prevalent in young male fish at the winter spawning grounds on eastern surf bars.     

Acute effects of copper on superoxide dismutase, catalase and lipid peroxidation in the freshwater teleost fish, Esomus danricus

Static-renewal bioassays [Methods for acute toxicity tests with fish, macro-invertebrates and amphibians: USEPA, ERS, EPA 660/3 75-009 (1975)] were carried out on Esomus danricus exposed to sub-lethal (0.55 mg/l) and lethal (5.5 mg/l) concentrations of copper. The 96-h median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) was 5.5 mg/l. Biochemical stress responses, such as visceral superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, were measured during this 96-h period. Malondialdehyde, a product of lipid peroxidation, was present at elevated levels in the visceral tissue of copper-exposed fish. Copper was found to be highly toxic to the fish and induced significant declines (p < 0.05–0.001) in all of the biochemical profiles studied, demonstrating a linear and positive correlation with both the concentration and duration of exposure to copper. In E. danricus, CAT appeared to be more sensitive to copper exposure (p < 0.001) than SOD at both lethal and sub-lethal levels. These results indicate that antioxidant responses can be employed as biomarkers of oxidative stress for this species in aquatic environments contaminated with copper.     

环境因子对鱼鳃细胞外间质的影响初探

作者将在水泥池中用井水暂养 4 0d后发病的日本锦鲤的鳃用波恩氏液固定 ,组织切片 ,埃利希氏 (Ehrlich’s)苏木精—暑红染色 ,在显微镜下观察鳃组织的形态特征和变化。结果显示鳃组织的间充质异常。     

Fertilizability of cryopreserved and cadaveric fish spermatozoa of freshwater catfish Pangasius sutchi (Fowler, 1937)

Fertilizability of cryopreserved and cadaveric fish spermatozoa was attempted in the freshwater catfish Pangasius sutchi. Cryopreservation of spermatozoa was done with three cryoprotectants for short time storage (30 days). Whereas the spermatozoa obtained from the cadaveric fish were stored at ?20°C (30 days) without any cryoprotectants. Cryoprotectant toxicity assay showed maximum motility of 88.53 ± 2.01% and viability of spermatozoa (96.19 ± 4.92%) with 15% of Dimethyl acetamide (DMA) at 15 min equilibration time. Whereas Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (15%) registered moderate level of motility and viability 79.23 ± 2.02% and 80.89 ± 2.1%, respectively. However, the methanol (MeOH) (20%) resulted in low percentage of motility (58.6 ± 0.9%) and viability (68.6 ± 0.9%). Scanning electron micrographs further showed no significant deformity on the surface topography of spermatozoa of cadaveric fish as well as cryopreserved with DMA (15%). The results indicated that 15% of DMA with hanks balanced salt solution (HBSS) extender at a dilution ratio of 1:10 at ?80°C proved to be suitable for cryopreservation of spermatozoa in P. sutchi. This may be due to the osmolality of HBSS similar to seminal plasma of P. sutchi. Further studies on motility, viability and fertility potential of spermatozoa revealed 73.62 ± 1.61%, 88.34 ± 1.05% and 54 ± 2.2%, respectively, with DMA (15%). On the other hand, cadaveric fish sperm registered 57.12 ± 2.32%, 63.45 ± 0.94% and 25.33 ± 1.53% of motility, viability and fertilizability respectively. Thus, this study augments the feasibility of using cryopreserved as well as cadaveric fish spermatozoa for the seedling production in the fresh water catfish P. sutchi.     

镉对绿鳍马面鲀幼鱼急性毒性、肝脏抗氧化能力及组织结构的影响

本研究采用静水生物测试法测定了镉(Cd²⁺)对绿鳍马面鲀(Thamnaconus septentrionalis)幼鱼的急性毒性。根据预实验结果,设定8.19、9.18、10.30、11.56 mg/L共4个Cd²⁺浓度梯度进行急性毒性实验,根据急性毒性实验结果,设定1.84、2.76、3.68和4.60mg/L4个不同浓度Cd²⁺急性暴露实验,分别在6、12、24、48、72和96 h检测肝脏中超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、谷胱甘肽抗氧化酶(GSH-PX)活性及丙二醛(MDA)含量,观察肝脏、鳃组织结构的变化。结果显示,随着Cd²⁺浓度的增加,急性毒性效应逐渐增强,24、48、72和96 h半致死浓度(LC50)分别为11.47、10.82、9.84和9.19 mg/L,Cd²⁺对绿鳍马面鲀幼鱼的96 h安全浓度为0.92 mg/L。6 h时,各浓度组SOD和CAT活性与对照组相比显著升高;6—48 h时,SOD、CAT、GSH-PX活性均呈先上升后下降的趋...     

Hepatoprotective action of celery (Apium graveolens) leaves in acetaminophen-fed freshwater fish (Pangasius sutchi)

Acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver damage is one of the most common problems among the population. Therefore, the study was aimed to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of celery leaves on APAP-induced toxicity in a freshwater fish, Pangasius sutchi. Fish were divided into four experimental groups of 6 fish each. Group 1 served as control. Group 2 fish were exposed to APAP (500 mg/kg) for 24 h. Groups 3 and 4 fish were exposed to APAP + celery leaf powder (CE) (500 mg/kg) and CE for 24 h, respectively. The severity of liver damage, hepatic lipid, glycogen, ions status and histological alterations was examined. The characterization of CE extract was also performed. APAP-exposed fish showed elevated levels of both circulating and tissue hepatotoxic markers (AST, ALT and ALP), reduced hepatic glycogen and lipid contents (TG and cholesterol), increased tissue lipid peroxidation markers (TBARS, LHP and PCO), altered tissue levels of enzymatic (SOD, CAT, GPx and GST) and non-enzymatic (GSH) antioxidants and cellular thiol levels (T-SH, P-SH and NP-SH), and reduced hepatic ions (Na⁺, K⁺ and Ca²⁺) and abnormal liver histology. The abnormalities associated with APAP exposure were reversed on treatment with CE. The TLC separation and HPLC quantification of petroleum ether/acetone extract of CE showed the peaks for highly efficient flavonoids such as rutein, quercetin and luteolin. The observed hepatoprotective effect of CE might be due to its rich flavonoids.     

The effects of noise disturbance from various recreational boating activities common to inland waters on the cardiac physiology of a freshwater fish,the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

• 1. Recreational boating continues to grow in popularity, yet little is known about the effects of noise disturbance from boating on fish. Therefore, this study evaluated the organism‐level cardiovascular disturbance associated with different recreational boating activities using largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) as a model.
• 2. Cardiac output and its components (heart rate and stroke volume) were monitored in real time, allowing for the determination of the magnitude of disturbance and the time required for recovery. Fish responses to three noise disturbances (canoe paddling, trolling motor, and combustion engine (9.9 hp)) for 60 s were contrasted using a Latin squares design.
• 3. Exposure to each of the treatments resulted in an increase in cardiac output in all fish, associated with a dramatic increase in heart rate and a slight decrease in stroke volume. The level of change in cardiac output and its components increased in magnitude from the canoe treatment to the trolling motor treatment with the most extreme response being to that of the combustion engine treatment. Furthermore, time required for cardiovascular variables to recover varied across treatments with shortest periods for the canoe paddling disturbance (～15 min), the longest periods for the combustion engine (～40 min), and intermediate recovery periods for the trolling motor (～25 min).
• 4. Collectively, these results demonstrate that fish experienced sublethal physiological disturbances in response to the noise propagated from recreational boating activities. This work contributes to a growing body of research that has revealed that boating activities can have a number of ecological and environmental consequences such that their use may not be compatible with aquatic protected areas. Future research should evaluate how free‐swimming fish in the wild respond to such stressors relative to frequency of exposure and proximity to noise as most research to date has occurred in the laboratory.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Histopathological and behaviour effects of formaldehyde treatment in juvenile mullet,Mugil liza (Valenciennes)

Considerable losses may be related to diseases caused by parasites in aquaculture. Formaldehyde (37% gas dissolved in water) is an effective chemotherapeutic, widely used to control ectoparasites in fish. However, for many species of fish used in aquaculture, the control of external parasites and the deleterious effects of formaldehyde in short‐term baths are still uncertain. In order to clarify some gaps, 1 h‐prophylactic baths (67.5, 135, 270, 405 and 540 mg L^?1 formaldehyde in triplicate) were performed in juvenile mullet, Mugil liza (Valenciennes). Results showed that prophylactic baths of 135 mg L^?1 formaldehyde by 1 h did not cause death in tested mullets. At this concentration, histopathologies were mild and fish survival was high. However, fish exposed to increasing concentrations of formaldehyde presented severe histopathologies in the gills besides behavioural and morphological alterations. The histopathological and behavioural implications of formaldehyde use in aquaculture are discussed.     

Sublethal effects of propiconazole on the metabolism of lambari Deuterodon iguape (Eigenmann 1907), a native species from Brazil

Fish Physiology and Biochemistry - The objective of this study was to analyze the sublethal effects of propiconazole on Deuterodon iguape, a native fish common in Brazil, which has potential for...     

镉对罗氏沼虾组织转氨酶活性及组织结构的影响

对罗氏沼虾（Ｍａｃｒｏｂｒａｃｈｉｕｍｒｏｓｅｎｂｅｒｇｉｉ）成虾六种组织的谷丙转氨酶（ＧＰＴ）和谷草转氨酶（ＧＯＴ）活性正常值作了测定，其中心脏和绿腺的ＧＰＴ和ＧＯＴ活性较高，鳃和肝胰脏次之，卵巢和肌肉较低。不同镉离子浓度（０．３７、０．７４和１．４８×１０－６）对罗氏沼虾的急性中毒试验表明，受水中０．７４和１．４８×１０－６Ｃｄ２＋影响，心脏、鳃和肝胰脏的ＧＰＴ和ＧＯＴ活性显著降低；绿腺的ＧＰＴ和ＧＯＴ活性在０．７４×１０－６组显著升高。组织学观察显示，Ｃｄ２＋中毒引起鳃丝增粗，鳃丝血腔扩大；肝小管严重萎缩，肝细胞解体；绿腺细胞解体，迷路结构消失。     

Salinization intensifies the effects of elevated temperatures on Channa striata,a common tropical freshwater aquaculture fish in the Mekong Delta,Vietnam

Fisheries Science - Increasing water temperatures and salinity intrusion due to climate change are serious challenges for freshwater aquaculture. In this study, we assessed the combined effects of...