Effects of stress on the immune system of fish

Pulsford, A.L. and Lemaire-Gony, S. and Farley, S. (1994) Effects of stress on the immune system of fish. In: Sutcliffe, D.W. (ed.) Water quality & stress indicators in marine and freshwater systems: linking levels of organisation. Ambleside, UK, Freshwater Biological Association, pp. 111-123. (FBA Special Publications,4)

Preview

PDF - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader Download (643Kb) | Preview

Abstract

The effects of stress on the immune system of various fish species including dab Limanda limanda, flounder Platichthys flesus, sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax and gobies Zosterisessor ophiocephalus, were investigated from laboratory and field experiments, using various assays to measure immunocompetence, correlated with histological and ultrastructural observations. Modulation of the immune system was demonstrated at tissue, cellular and biochemical levels following exposure to various stressors. The spleen somatic index was depressed in dab stressed in the laboratory and gobies collected from polluted sites in the Venice Lagoon. Differential blood cell counts consistently showed an increase in phagocytes and decrease in thrombocytes in fish exposed to various stressors. Phagocytic activity from spleen and kidney adherent cells was stimulated in dab stressed by transportation but depressed in fish exposed to chemical pollutants. Respiratory burst activity in phagocytic cells was also stimulated in stressed dab but depressed in sea bass exposed to cadmium. The results are discussed in relation to current concepts on stress in fish and the regulation of the immune system.

Actions (login required)