New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts
Anguillicolosis in the short-finned eel Anguilla australis: epidemiology
and pathogenicity
François Lefebvre1
Tobias Schuster2
Marcel Münderle2
Mike Hine3
Robert Poulin1,†
1Department of Zoology
University of Otago
P.O. Box 56
Dunedin, New Zealand
email: robert.poulin@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
2Zoologie I, Ecology/Parasitology
University of Karlsruhe
Kornblumenstr. 13
76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
3National Centre for Disease Investigation
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
P.O. Box 40 742
Upper Hutt, New Zealand
†Author for correspondence.
Abstract A sample of 189 short-finned eels (Anguilla
australis) from four geographical areas in New Zealand were examined
for the occurrence of the swimbladder nematode Anguillicola spp. Anguillicola
novaezelandiae was found in three of the four localities. Overall, the
prevalence was low (<12%) as was the intensity of infection (between 1
and 5 parasites per infected eel). In comparison with data from Europe on
a similar host-parasite system involving congeneric species (Anguilla
anguilla-Anguillicola crassus), it was concluded that the New Zealand
short-finned eels do not greatly suffer from this infection. In particular,
no effect of infection on body condition was detected. The damage caused
by the parasite to the swimbladder was minimal, even in large silver eels
about to undertake a long journey at great depth to reach their spawning
grounds in the Pacific. A review of the available literature is presented
to update the current knowledge of the distribution of Anguillicola
infections in New Zealand.
Keywords Anguilla australis; infection; Anguillicola
novaezelandiae; swimbladder degenerative index; body condition
M04046; Received 10 February 2004; accepted 27 May 2004; Online publication
date 5 August 2004
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2004, Vol. 38:
577-583
0028-8330/04/3804-0577 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2004
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