Post-haemorrhagic anaemia in sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax (L.), caused by blood feeding of Ceratothoa oestroides (Isopoda: Cymothoidae).
The effects of the fish parasitic isopod, Ceratothoa oestroides (Risso), on haematological parameters of its cage-cultured sea bass host, Dicentrarchus labrax (L.), were studied. Analyses of blood parameters (cell counts, haemoglobin content and haematocrit) were carried out on parasitized and unparasitized sea bass from a fish farm in Turkey. Parasitized fish had significantly lowered erythrocyte counts, haematocrit and haemoglobin values and significantly increased leucocyte counts. Blood feeding by C. oestroides thus produces a post-haemorrhagic anaemia and the fish appear to mount an immune response to the presence of parasites.
Horton
T
T
Department of Zoology, University of Reading, Reading, UK. txh@soc.soton.ac.uk
Okamura
B
B
D000740:Anemia / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D001492:Bass / Q000469:parasitology*; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D006400:Hematocrit / Q000662:veterinary; D033321:Isopoda / Q000502:physiology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000662:veterinary; D010273:Parasitic Diseases, Animal / Q000473:pathology