Environmental factors and chemical agents affecting the growth of the pathogenic marine ciliate Uronema nigricans

The scuticociliate Uronema nigricans is an opportunistically parasitic marine ciliate known to cause disease in some aquacultural environments with epizootics documented from marine larval rearing systems, marine aquaria and in southern bluefin tuna Thunnus macoyii growout enclosures. This study exa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diseases of aquatic organisms 1999-05, Vol.36 (3), p.213-219
Main Authors: CROSBIE, P. B. B, MUNDAY, B. L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal aquaculture
Animal productions
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Ciliophora - drug effects
Ciliophora - growth & development
Fish Diseases - parasitology
Fish Diseases - prevention & control
Fisheries - methods
Formaldehyde - pharmacology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hydrogen Peroxide - pharmacology
Marine
Pisciculture
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Rosaniline Dyes - pharmacology
Seasons
Sodium Chloride
Solutions
Temperature
Thunnus macoyii
Tuna - parasitology
Uronema nigricans
Vertebrate aquaculture
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Summary:The scuticociliate Uronema nigricans is an opportunistically parasitic marine ciliate known to cause disease in some aquacultural environments with epizootics documented from marine larval rearing systems, marine aquaria and in southern bluefin tuna Thunnus macoyii growout enclosures. This study examined growth responses of laboratory cultures of the ciliate and prey bacteria to variations in temperature and salinity, and the efficacy of potential chemotherapeutants for control of U. nigricans infections. Differences in ciliate growth responses were marginal at temperatures of 10 to 25 degrees C and at salinities between 15 and 35 ppt, though 3.5 ppt or less was lethal. Ciliates were found to be sensitive to fluctuations in bacterial densities, which may be a factor in the seasonal occurrence of the ciliate-related disease in tuna. Commonly used chemotherapeutants such as formalin, malachite green and hydrogen peroxide were all effective against the ciliate during in vitro trials.
ISSN:0177-5103
1616-1580
DOI:10.3354/dao036213