Acetylcholinesterase activity in hosts (herring Clupea harengus) and parasites (Anisakis simplex larvae) from the southern Baltic

Abstract

Abstract This study compares the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity of herring Clupea harengus infected with Anisakis simplex larvae and non-infected individuals caught in coastal waters of the southern Baltic. Acetylcholinesterase activity was measured spectrophotometrically. Generalized linear models were applied to analyse the dependence of AChE activity on the area of sampling and the biological parameters of fish and their parasites. The AChE activity of herring was higher in samples from the western and central coasts (regarded as “clean” waters) than in fish caught in the semi-enclosed areas of the Gulf of Gdańsk and Vistula Lagoon (regarded as “polluted” sites). The opposite relationship was noted in the activity of AChE extracted from A. simplex larvae. In male hosts, the parasitic AChE activity was markedly higher than in the females in all examined areas.