title: A parasite survey of farmed Southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau).
abstract: Farmed Southern bluefin tuna (SBT) were examined for parasites. Samples of harvest fish, mortalities and some fish showing clinical signs of disease were investigated. Targeted screening was conducted for a scuticociliate, Uronema nigricans, the myxosporean Kudoa sp. and a sanguinicolid digenean, Cardicola forsteri. General parasitological investigation revealed a diverse parasite community of didymozoid digeneans, two species of copepods, a polyopisthocotylean monogenean and larval cestodes. Targeted screening for U. nigricans exposed a low prevalence, most probably due to a lack of sensitivity in the test method. Few of the parasites examined pose a risk to the health of farmed SBT.
authors.affiliation: PIRSA Aquaculture, Primary Industries and Resources South Australia and Aquafin CRC, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia. deveney.marty@saugov.sa.gov.au
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Deveney
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Bayly
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Nowak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000469:parasitology; D005880:Gills / Q000469:parasitology; D006652:Histological Techniques; D010273:Parasitic Diseases, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013021:South Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014413:Tuna