Studies on ecophysiology of fish parasites: effect of trypanosome infection on the serum cholesterol levels of fishes.

Serum cholesterol levels of six species of fresh water fishes were lowered due to trypanosome infection. The percentage of infection in the different species of hosts ranged from 3.27% in Clarias batrachus to 16.66% in Wallago attu. Loss in serum cholesterol level was highest (42.39%) in the spiny eel Mastocembelus armotus and lowest in the carp Cirrhina mrigala (4.56%). Thus hypocholesterolemia was evidently caused in the fishes by trypanosomes.