Immunosuppression of carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) to ichthyophthiriasis using the corticosteroid triamcinolone acetonide.

The immune response of juvenile mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) has been investigated in relation to protective immunity and immunosuppression to the disease ichthyophthiriasis. Protective immunity was induced by exposing juvenile carp to approximately 2,000 theronts per fish for 3 hours at a concentration of approximately 80 theronts cm-3 in dechlorinated water pH 7.0-7.2, 20 +/- 2 degrees C in the dark, on three separate occasions of 14 day intervals. Following each exposure, re-infection was prevented by transferring fish to clean aquaria twice daily from day 5-10. Fish were challenged 4 weeks following exposure to the third immunising infection with a potentially lethal dose of approximately 8,000 theronts per fish for 3 hours at a concentration of approximately 320 theronts cm-3. All immunised fish survived although 19% showed initial signs of invasion, the parasites in these instances being confined to periphery of fins. Mortalities of 100% were recorded in non-immunised controls, first deaths occurring 5 days after challenge. Fourteen days following challenge, immune fish received one of the following treatments; intraperitoneal injection of the corticosteroid triamcinolone acetonide at a dose of 200 micrograms g-1 body weight, intraperitoneal injection of 0.85% saline or left untreated; non-immunised fish were subjected to similar procedures. On challenge 6 days later, all fish developed heavy infection with up to 100% mortalities with the exception of immunised fish administered saline or left untreated. Repeat experiments gave comparable results. The results indicate that immunosuppression can be induced by administration of high levels of synthetic corticosteroid.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)