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343213

Trials for the Control of Isopods Infesting Lake Qarun, Egypt, with the Impact of Environmental Stresses on their Parasitism

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Last updated: 01 Jan 2025

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Abstract

The Isopod infestation of fish in Lake Qarun has been deemed a catastrophe. Managing crustacean parasites, particularly isopods presents a formidable challenge, and employing chemical or biological remedies seems impractical given the widespread nature of the infestation within a vast water body like Lake Qarun. Hence, the present study aimed to develop new strategic plans for the control of isopods at different salinities and temperatures, using two model fish (Tilapia zillii and the European seabass; Dicentrachus labrax). The results revealed that D. labrax can combat and eat isopod parasites in their territory. At the same time, T. zillii was the preferred host for isopods under optimal conditions for infestation (36ppt salinity and 26°C temperature). Unexpectedly, there was a clear association between isopod infestations and salinity levels, with the lowest infestation rates occurring in areas with lower salinity. Physical treatment of infested fish, by lowering salinity or water temperature, proved a futile post-challenge, as the parasite remained firmly attached to its host, even under unfavorable environmental conditions. Conversely, reducing water temperature has a notable adverse effect on the survival of free-swimming isopods, especially at a temperature of 15°C. Conclusively, D. labrax is a robust model fish that is difficult to infest with isopods and can combat infestation through unknown defense mechanisms. The fish preyed on isopods, demonstrating their vital role in the biological control strategy for parasites that we proposed in this study.

DOI

10.21608/ejabf.2024.343213

Keywords

Isopod infestation, Lake Qarun, challenge, Physical treatment, biological control

Authors

First Name

Mahmoud

Last Name

Saied et al.

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Volume

28

Article Issue

1

Related Issue

45296

Issue Date

2024-01-01

Receive Date

2024-02-26

Publish Date

2024-01-01

Page Start

1,799

Page End

1,810

Print ISSN

1110-6131

Online ISSN

2536-9814

Link

https://ejabf.journals.ekb.eg/article_343213.html

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https://ejabf.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=343213

Order

72

Type

Original Article

Type Code

103

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries

Publication Link

https://ejabf.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

Trials for the Control of Isopods Infesting Lake Qarun, Egypt, with the Impact of Environmental Stresses on their Parasitism

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Article

Created At

23 Dec 2024