High concentration of levamisole in the diet of Colossoma macropomum (Pisces: Serrasalmidae) is effective for controlling monogenean parasites

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of diets supplemented with levamisole on monogeneans on the gills of Colossoma macropomum. Fish were fed with diets containing levamisole at concentrations of 0, 300, 600, 900 and 1200 mg kg-1 for 24, 96 and 240 h and the infection by Anacanthorus spatulatus, Notozothecium janauachensis and Mymarothecium boegeri were evaluated. None of the levamisole concentrations caused either mortality or behavioral alterations in fishes during 240 h of feeding. After 24 h of feeding with 1200 mg kg-1 of levamisole, the abundance of N. janauachensis decreased in comparison with treatments of 0, 300, 600 and 900 mg kg-1, as did the abundance of M. boegeri after 240 h of feeding with 1200 mg kg-1 of levamisole. The efficacy of 900 mg kg-1 of levamisole was only 55.7% after 96 h of feeding, but it was 84.6% after 240 h of feeding with 1200 mg kg-1. Our results show that 1200 mg kg-1 of levamisole for 10 days has good anthelmintic efficacy against monogeneans of C. macropomum. Since monogeneans elicit some of the worst problems in C. macropomum, this study has provided evidence of an effective control method that may be used in fish farms.

Histopathological alterations caused by monogenean parasites the gills of tambaqui Colossoma macropomum (Serrasalmidae)

“…Monogeneans have a high specificity to their fish host species, because they appear to infect hosts when both have experienced a coevolution (Boeger & Viana, 2006, Whittington & Chisholm, 2008Braga, Araújo, & Boeger, 2014 (Aragort et al, 2002;Nogueira, Santos, & Tavares-Dias, 2019). Despite the C. macropomum being a widely farmed fish throughout Brazil and other Amazon countries, the histopathological effects of infestation by monogeneans remain unknown.…”

Exploring the Efficacy and Safety of Levamisole Hydrochloride against Microcotyle sebastis in Korean Rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii): An In Vitro and In Vivo Approach

“…Although statistical analysis did not confirm significance, these results underscore the importance of carefully selecting a dosing method that efficaciously treats infections while ensuring the safety of the host organism and demonstrate that levamisole HCl has efficacy against monogeneans such as M. sebastis. In previous studies, no mortality or abnormal behavior was observed in C. macropomum, even at a maximum oral dose of 1200 mg/kg, and no mortality was observed in Piaractus mesopotamicus for oral doses up to 500 mg/kg [18,21]. Based on these findings, oral administration appears to be the most efficacious and safe method for administering levamisole HCl to Korean rockfish.…”

“…It is important to note that in a real-world aquaculture setting, anthelmintic would typically be mixed into feed for sustained, oral administration. This approach has not been tested in our study but has shown promise in previous research [18,21,59]. Therefore, further studies are recommended to validate the efficacy of levamisole when administered in this way, considering the specificities of the fish species and the parasite.…”

“…Levamisole can be administered via immersion, oral intake, or injection and exhibits immunostimulatory effects when provided orally [16][17][18][19][20]. Research specifically addressing the efficacy of levamisole against M. sebastis infections in Korean rockfish is currently nonexistent, despite consistent reports of levamisole's efficacy against monogenean infections in various fish species [18,[21][22][23].…”