title: The checkered puffer (Spheroides testudineus) and its helminths as bioindicators of chemical pollution in Yucatan coastal lagoons.
abstract: The suitability of using helminth communities as bioindicators of environmental quality of the Yucatan coastal lagoons status was tested on the checkered puffer (Spheroides testudineus) in four coastal lagoons along the Yucatan coast. The concentration of chemical pollutants in sediments, water quality parameters, helminth infracommunity characteristics, as well as fish physiological biomarkers, including EROD (7-ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase) and catalase activities, were measured. Results from sediment analyses demonstrated the presence of hydrocarbons, organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls at varying concentrations, some of which exceeded the Probability Effect Level (PEL). Significant negative associations among organochlorine pesticides, infracommunity characteristics and fish physiological responses were observed in most of the lagoons. Results suggest that EROD activity and parasite infracommunity characteristics could be useful tools to evaluate the effects of chemical pollutants on the fish host and in the environment. Importantly, certain parasites appear to influence biomarker measurements, indicating that parasites should be considered in ecotoxicological studies.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Recursos del Mar, Cinvestav, 97310 Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. danielpech@mda.cinvestav.mx
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pech
authors.forename: Víctor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Vidal-Martínez
authors.forename: M Leopoldina
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Aguirre-Macedo
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gold-Bouchot
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herrera-Silveira
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zapata-Pérez
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Marcogliese
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D006376:Helminths / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D008800:Mexico; D023721:Tetraodontiformes / Q000469:parasitology*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water