TITLE:
ArtinM as a Neutrophil Immunostimulant in Juvenile Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
AUTHORS:
Caroline Toazza, Leticia Carandina, Rogerio Salvador, Wagner Loyola, Júlio Cesar Freitas
KEYWORDS:
Fish; Immune System; Protein; Lectin; Haptotaxis
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine,
Vol.3 No.2,
June
11,
2013
ABSTRACT: Streptococcosis is one of the most important
diseases in aquaculture, causing high rates of mortality in fish. ArtinM, an
immunostimulant obtained from jackfruit (Artocarpus integrifolia) seed extract, enhances
the innate immune response. The aim of this study was to examine the action of
ArtinM on neutrophil haptotaxis to the peritoneal cavity of juvenile Nile
tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) inoculated intraperitoneally
with Streptococcus agalactiae. After establishing the LD50
of S. agalactiae and the effective dose of ArtinM, 120 animals randomly
distributed in 12 aquaria were divided into the following four treatment
groups: G1, control; G2, via the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route inoculation with
ArtinM; G3, i.p. inoculation with S. agalactiae and G4, i.p. inoculation with
ArtinM and challenge with S. agalactiae. Six and 24 hours after
treatment, the fish were sacrificed and peritoneal exudate and caudal vein
blood samples were collected for analysis of the total number of leukocytes and
neutrophils. To establish the optimal ArtinM concentration, the results were
analyzed with a chi-square test at a 1% significance level. The experimental
inoculation and challenge results were analyzed with the SASM-Agri software
developed by Canteri et al. (2001) using the Scott-Knott’s test
at a 5% significance level. The results of this study showed that i.p.
inoculation with 1.0 μg ArtinM/animal has an effect on neutrophil haptotaxis to
the peritoneal cavity in juvenile Nile tilapia. Therefore, ArtinM might
represent a suitable prophylactic alternative in juvenile Nile tilapias
inoculated with S. agalactiae.