HISTOLOGICAL CHANGES CAUSED BY LIGOPHORUS URUGUAYENSE (MONOGENOIDEA) IN REARED MULLET MUGIL LIZA

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.1771920069

• Palavras-chave: Atena

• Keywords: Aquaculture; histological changes; Monogenoidea; Mugilidae; parasitosis

• Abstract:

  Monogenoidea pathogenic activity

  can elicit various histological responses in fish.

  Species of Ligophorus are specific parasites of

  mullets, and his relationship with host fish may

  result in a moderate pathogenic action. In order

  to ascertain this relationship, estuarine mullets

  (Mugil liza) were collected in an estuary, reared

  in laboratory, for three weeks, and forwarded

  for histological and parasitological analyses.

  Ligophorus uruguayense (Monogenoidea)

  infestation in the gills of the mullets was identified.

  The severe infestation by only one species of

  Monogenoidea may result from the specificity

  of these parasites to mullets. Mullets submitted

  to histological analysis exhibited respiratory

  epithelium detachment; mild, moderate and

  severe hyperplasia of the respiratory epithelium;

  atrophy; and telangiectasia of the gills. This is the

  first study reporting that mullets highly infested by

  Monogenoidea can show mild (100%) to severe

  (20%) gill changes with a distinct frequency

  of occurrence. By the high prevalence of mild

  alterations observed, it is possible to accept that

  L. uruguayense is moderately pathogenic to M.

  liza, even during high prevalence and intensity

  of infestation, as a result of its specificity. The

  hypotheses regarding the cause, histological

  damage frequency and implication of the host–

  parasite relationship in mullet rearing systems

  are discussed.

• Número de páginas: 15