Effects of short-term crowding stress on the gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L) innate immune response.
Gilthead seabream specimens were subjected to an intense short-term crowding stress of 100 kg m(-3) for 2 h. After 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 days, blood glucose and serum cortisol levels, serum complement activity, phagocytic and respiratory burst activities of head-kidney leucocytes, and the percentage of monocyte/ macrophages and granulocytes in head-kidney and circulating blood were determined. An immediate effect of the stress was a depression in complement and phagocytic activities, both of which recovered after 3 or 2 days, respectively, while respiratory burst remained unaffected. The depression of phagocytosis in head-kidney leucocytes seemed to correlate with stress-induced migration of active cells from the organ to circulating blood. The present results point to the importance of minimising intense short-term crowding stress in order to reduce possible states of immunodepression in farmed fish.
Ortuño
J
J
Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Spain.
Esteban
M A
MA
Meseguer
J
J
D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture / Q000379:methods*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D003441:Crowding; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000502:physiology; D010473:Perciformes; D010587:Phagocytosis; D016897:Respiratory Burst; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013997:Time Factors
D001786:Blood Glucose; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D006854:Hydrocortisone