title: Lernanthropus kroyeri infections in farmed sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax: pathological features.
abstract: Twenty sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax L. from a fish farm (floating cage) in Greece were examined for the presence of parasites. The gills of 7 (35%) fish were infected with adult female specimens of the parasitic copepod Lernanthropus kroyeri van Beneden, 1851, and the intensity of infection ranged from 1 to 24 parasites per host. The most infected portion of the gills appeared to be the primary lamellae. Erosion, desquamation and necrosis of the secondary lamellae were noticed near the site of copepod attachment; furthermore, the terminal claw of the second antennae lacerated tissue and vessels of infected gill. Parasitism by L. kroyeri affected the host's condition factor (mean +/- SE in uninfected vs parasitized; 1.88 +/- 0.04 vs 1.66 +/- 0.12; p < 0.05).
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, University of Teramo, Piazza Aldo Moro, 45, 64100 Teramo, Italy. maurizio.manera2@tin.it
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manera
authors.forename: Bahram Sayyaf
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Dezfuli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D001492:Bass; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D033342:Copepoda; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D005880:Gills / Q000473:pathology*; D006652:Histological Techniques; D010273:Parasitic Diseases, Animal / Q000473:pathology*; D012623:Seawater