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Brazilian catfish parasitized by Epistylis sp. (Ciliophora, Epistylididae), with description of parasite intensity score

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Abstract

The determination of mean intensity of parasitism for colony-forming sessile protozoan such as Epistylis has been a great problem in parasitological studies. Some alternatives have been proposed by researchers for laboratory and field conditions. This study describes the criteria to establish the parasitic intensity score for epistylidid infestation in fish. Parasite distribution and the host–parasite relationship in four species of Brazilian cultured catfish and their hybrids are discussed. The highest prevalence rates were found in the hybrid jundiara, Leiarius marmoratus male × Pseudoplatystoma reticulatum female (96.4 %), followed by jurupoca, Hemisorubim platyrhynchos (60 %), and the hybrid surubim, Pseudoplatystoma corruscans male × P. reticulatum female (52.7 %). Positive correlation between parasitic intensity score and the fish size, weight, and relative condition factor were also observed. These findings indicate that Epistylis infestation in Brazilian catfish is an emerging disease in cultured fish.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank CNPq (302493/2010-7) for grant to M.L. Martins, AQUABRASIL project—Technological Bases for Sustainable Development of Aquaculture, EMBRAPA (Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture and CNPq), and EMBRAPA Agropecuária Oeste, Dourados, MS, Brazil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquaculture Center of São Paulo State University (CAUNESP), Jaboticabal, Brazil

    Santiago Benites de Pádua

  2. Embrapa Western Agriculture, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Dourados, Brazil

    Márcia Mayumi Ishikawa

  3. Anhanguera Faculty of Dourados, Dourados, Brazil

    Arlene Sobrinho Ventura

  4. AQUOS—Aquatic Organims Health Laboratory, Aquaculture Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, Brazil

    Gabriela Tomas Jerônimo & Maurício Laterça Martins

  5. Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Campo Grande, Brazil

    Luiz Eduardo Roland Tavares

Authors
  1. Santiago Benites de Pádua
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  2. Márcia Mayumi Ishikawa
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  3. Arlene Sobrinho Ventura
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  4. Gabriela Tomas Jerônimo
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  5. Maurício Laterça Martins
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  6. Luiz Eduardo Roland Tavares
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Correspondence to Santiago Benites de Pádua.

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de Pádua, S.B., Ishikawa, M.M., Ventura, A.S. et al. Brazilian catfish parasitized by Epistylis sp. (Ciliophora, Epistylididae), with description of parasite intensity score. Parasitol Res 112, 443–446 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-012-3069-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-012-3069-5

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