Concomitant exposure of rainbow trout fry to Gyrodactylus derjavini and Flavobacterium psychrophilum:: effects on infection and mortality of host

Although rainbow trout fry mortality syndrome caused by the bacterium Flavobactcrium psychrophilum is widespread in fish farms it is difficult to reproduce infection of rainbow trout in the laboratory using immersion exposure with bacterial suspensions. It has therefore been speculated that ectoparasites could act as enhancers of bacterial infections under natural conditions. In the present study rainbow trout fry were exposed to infections with F psychrophilum (immersion for 30 min or 10 h) alone, exposed to the ectoparasitic monogenean Gyrodactylus derjavini alone or exposed to both pathogens in combination. Infection levels and host mortality were subsequently monitored to elucidate if the ectoparasitic monogeneans could enhance infection of fish with the bacterium. Immersion of fish in bacterial suspensions alone did not result in infection. Only one fish became infected with the bacterium and this fish belonged to the combination exposure group. The parasite populations increased differently in the various groups and it was found that host mortality was correlated to gyrodactylid infection levels (r = 0.94) but not to bacterial exposure. The results emphasise the pathogenicity of the parasite G. derjavini, the relative resistance of intact fish to direct exposure to F psychrophilum but provide only a weak indication of a possible enhancement of bacterial invasion due to ectoparasitic infections. It cannot be excluded that higher parasite burdens and/or prolonged immersion (more than 10 h) in bacterial suspensions may result in bacterial invasion. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.