Immune response of the Almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana) against the infestation with Neobenedenia sp. in three cultivated temperatures

Abstract

Abstract The Almaco jack (Seriola rivoliana) is a marine fish maintained in mariculture systems and frequently infested by monogenean parasites like Neobenedenia sp. Severe infestations can lead to high mortalities and economic losses for farmers. This study evaluated the effects of temperature on the immune response on Almaco jack infested with Neobenedenia sp. We exposed infested fishes at temperatures of 20°C, 24°C and 30°C for 20 days and took samples of different tissues at the beginning of the experiment, and after 3 and 20 days. The tissues considered were the skin, thymus, cephalic kidney, and spleen to evaluate the relative gene expression of different genes: Hsp70, IgM, IL-1β, IL-10, and MyD88. Our results showed an increase in IL-1β gene expression in the skin after 20 days of infestation but no significant effect of temperature on gene expression, despite increases in infestation rates with temperature. These results show that the parasite infestation induced a local response in the skin, but that temperature has a limited direct effect on the immune system of Almaco jack.