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Seasonal changes of immunocompetence and parasitism in chub (Leuciscus cephalus), a freshwater cyprinid fish

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Abstract

Seasonal variation of water characteristics, predominantly temperature, is considered to strongly affect fish physiology and immunology. In nature, this variation directly influences the life cycle especially in fish parasites, but the infection of parasites is also altered by the host immune response. This study is aimed to analyze the seasonal changes in selected physiological and immunological parameters, the latter a potential measure of fish immunocompetence. Moreover, the seasonal changes in metazoan parasite infection were investigated, and the potential associations between fish physiology, immunocompetence, and parasitism were estimated. No differences in gender were recognized for immunological parameters. The significant differences in the spleen–somatic index were found among fish samples of different seasons indicating higher investment in spleen size in April (after winterizing) and August (post-breeding with low gonado-somatic index [GSI]). The significant seasonal differences in erythrocyte and leukocyte cell counts, as well as in phagocyte count affecting respiratory burst, were recorded. The general trend of leukocyte composition was similar in all seasons investigated; however, the changes in proportion of different neutrophilic cells were reported. The parasite diversity and the infection parameters in parasite communities were highest in spring and early summer. When comparing parasite abundance in infracommunities among seasons, the statistically highest values were observed in April and June for Monogenea, in April and November for Acanthocephala, and in April for Cestoda. The positive correlations between GSI and the parasite abundance of groups with higher infection parameters were found in males. Moreover, the positive association between Monogenea as the dominant parasite group and respiratory burst was observed. The higher investment in condition and the seasonal variation in GSI were associated with a decrease immune function measured by spleen size or leukocyte cell count especially for males suggesting the seasonal energy allocation between immune function and somatic or reproductive investment.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, Project no. 524/04/1128. The MS preparation was funded by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, Project no. 524/07/0188. The field study and hematological analyses were partially funded by a Research Project from Masaryk University, Brno, Project no. MSM 0021622416. KL and AŠ were supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (Project no. LC522, Ichthyoparasitology Research Centre). We thank Jana Benešová from the Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, for valuable help with physiological analyses; Martina Pečínková, Martina Dávidová, Radim Blažek, Radim Sonnek, and Eva Řehulková from the Laboratory of Parasitology, Institute of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, for kindly helping with parasite dissection. We thank Jiří Huml, Michal Janáč, and Matej Polačik for their valuable assistance in field sampling. The authors thank the Moravian Anglers Union for supporting the research in their entire district and for purchasing the experimental fish. We are very grateful to Maria Vass for the correction of English.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic

    Karolína Lamková & Andrea Šimková

  2. University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Palackého 1/3, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic

    Miroslava Palíková

  3. Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic

    Pavel Jurajda

  4. Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 612 65, Brno, Czech Republic

    Antonín Lojek

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  1. Karolína Lamková
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  2. Andrea Šimková
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Correspondence to Andrea Šimková.

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Lamková, K., Šimková, A., Palíková, M. et al. Seasonal changes of immunocompetence and parasitism in chub (Leuciscus cephalus), a freshwater cyprinid fish. Parasitol Res 101, 775–789 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0546-3

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