Premium
High Doses of Corticosteroid Suppress Resistance to Ichthyophonus in Starry Flounder
Author(s) -
Perry J. A.,
Kocan R. M.,
Winton J. R.,
Hershberger P. K.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of aquatic animal health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.507
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1548-8667
pISSN - 0899-7659
DOI - 10.1577/h03-056.1
Subject(s) - biology , platichthys , dexamethasone , corticosteroid , flounder , physiology , immune system , medicine , endocrinology , fish <actinopterygii> , immunology , fishery
Application of pharmacological doses of the corticosteroid dexamethasone phosphate to starry flounder Platichthys stellatus resulted in a predisposition to clinical ichthyophoniasis and a progression from latent Ichthyophonus infections to patent, histologically identifiable infections. Among Ichthyophonus ‐challenged starry flounder, the prevalences of clinical infections and histologically identifiable infections were significantly greater in two groups that received dexamethasone (100% and 31%, respectively) than in the respective control groups (8% and 0%). Proliferation of Ichthyophonus infections in corticosteroid‐treated groups may have resulted from suppression of the cellular immune response that typically follows corticosteroid application; however, further studies are needed to determine whether these effects occur at lower, physiological concentrations of corticosteroids.