title: Hormonal status and phagocytic activity in sea bream infected with vibriosis.
abstract: Serum taken from female, sexually mature, silver sea bream (Sparus sarba) displaying either no symptoms of vibriosis, mild infection, severe infection or moribundity were assayed for a number of key hormones. Serum cortisol levels were not significantly different among symptomless, mildly- and severely-infected groups, whereas moribund fish displayed hypercortisolemia with a 14-fold increase in serum cortisol in comparison to symptomless fish. Serum estradiol levels were significantly reduced 19-fold in mildly-infected fish and remained at a low level as infection progressed, whereas serum testosterone increased gradually during vibriosis with a 1.8-fold increase in moribund groups in comparison to symptomless groups. Both serum thyroxine (T(4)) and triiodothyronine (T(3)) gradually decreased during vibriosis being 26- and 2.8-fold lower, respectively, in moribund fish in comparison to symptomless fish. The non-specific immune response, as determined by phagocytic activity, was also assessed using macrophages isolated from the pronephros and spleen of infected fish. Phagocytic indices significantly increased in mildly- and severely-infected fish and then decreased from these stimulated levels in moribund fish.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., SAR, Hong Kong, PR China.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Deane
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: N Y
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Woo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006728:Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D010587:Phagocytosis; D021541:Sea Bream / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D014733:Vibrio / Q000276:immunology; D014735:Vibrio Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D013974:Thyroxine; D006854:Hydrocortisone