The kinetics of the hypoferraemic response and changes in levels of alternative complement activity in diploid and triploid Atlantic salmon, following injection of lipopolysaccharide.
To study any possible effects of triploidy on the kinetics of the response of two non-specific disease factors, full sibling diploid and triploid Atlantic salmon were injected intraperitoneally with either lipopolysaccharide (1 mg kg(-1) body weight) or saline. Individually marked fish were repetitively blood sampled for up to 19 days. Total serum protein concentrations remained constant throughout the experiment indicating that the sampling regime did not cause haemodilution. The alternative complement pathway activity (measured by the titre of haemolytic activity against rabbit erythrocytes) in the serum of saline injected fish remained constant but in LPS-injected fish it fell to barely detectable levels 2 days after injection, but recovered to pre-treatment levels by about day 5. Triploid fish took slightly longer to reach full recovery levels than diploids. All groups of fish showed a hypoferraemic response, suggesting that the sampling regime was at least partially responsible. However, the response was more rapid and pronounced in the LPS-injected fish. In the latter, serum iron concentrations decreased to very low levels by day 2 post-injection in the diploid fish and by day 3 in the triploid fish. Pre-treatment iron levels were re-established by about 15 days post-injection in all groups. The data show only slight differences between the diploid and triploid fish, but the longer time taken for the triploids to recover complement activity and the slower onset of the hypoferraemic response following injection of LPS, suggest that they may be at a disadvantage compared with their diploid siblings in their defence against bacterial infections.
Langston
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Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
Johnstone
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R
Ellis
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D000818:Animals; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D003170:Complement Pathway, Alternative / Q000187:drug effects*; D004926:Escherichia coli; D005260:Female; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal / Q000662:veterinary; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D011003:Ploidies; D011817:Rabbits; D020317:Salmo salar / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014168:Transferrin / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
D001798:Blood Proteins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D014168:Transferrin; D007501:Iron