title: Acetylcholinesterase activity in the host-parasite system of the cod Gadus morhua and acanthocephalan Echinorhynchus gadi from the southern Baltic Sea.
abstract: Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity measurement is widely used as a specific biomarker of neurotoxic effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate AChE activity in a host fish (the cod) and its acanthocephalan parasite Echinorhynchus gadi from the southern Baltic. AChE activity in hosts and parasites was inversely related: the highest cod AChE activity corresponded to the lowest E. gadi enzymatic activity and vice versa ("mirror effect"). This is the first report on the simultaneous application of this biomarker in cod and its acanthocephalan parasites. Results obtained for the host-parasite system are complementary and provide comprehensive information about the response of this biomarker. Analysis of the system allows for detection of a greater number of factors influencing AChE activity in the marine environment than separate analysis of the host and parasites. Thus, AChE activity measurement in a host-parasite system may be considered to be a promising tool for biomonitoring.
authors.affiliation: National Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kollataja 1, 81-332 Gdynia, Poland. Electronic address: bilbo@mir.gdynia.pl.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Podolska
authors.affiliation: National Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kollataja 1, 81-332 Gdynia, Poland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nadolna
authors.affiliation: Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine in Gdynia, Medical University of Gdansk, ul. Powstania Styczniowego 9b, 81-519 Gdynia, Poland.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Szostakowska
mesh_terms: D000049:Acanthocephala / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology*; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001454:Baltic States; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D048389:Gadus morhua / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010271:Parasites; D012623:Seawater / Q000469:parasitology; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase
keywords: Acetylcholinesterase; Echinorhynchus gadi; Gadus morhua; Host–parasite system