The effect of parasitism of European eels with the nematode, Anguillicola crassus on the impact of netting and aerial exposure

Physiological responses to acute temperature increase in European eels Anguilla anguilla infected with Anguillicola crassus

“…Eels were maintained in plastic tanks, supplied with a constant flow of dechlorinated, aerated water at 11°C (±1°C), with a 12 h:12 h light:dark cycle. After acclimation, resting levels of all parameters measured in the study, as in previous studies using eels from the 2 sites (Gollock et al 2004) were not statistically different.…”

“…Uninfected fish (mean mass = 53.6 g) were caught from the River Otter, Devon, UK (Ordnance Survey Ref. SY 077 818), where less than 1% of eels are infected with Anguillicola crassus (Kelly et al 2000, Gollock et al 2004. Previous attempts at artificial infection of eels from this site with A. crassus had an extremely low success rate (Kelly 1998) and therefore, for the present studies, wild infected eels were required.…”

“…Infected eels (mean mass = 87.5 g) were therefore obtained from Slapton Ley, Devon (Ordnance Survey Ref. SX 825 425), a site that has shown a relatively constant level of anguillicolosis (> 99% eels infected) for the past 9 yr (Ashworth & Kennedy 1999, Kelly et al 2000, Gollock et al 2004). All eels were acclimated to identical water and tank conditions for a minimum of 3 wk before experimental manipulations.…”

“…All eels were acclimated to identical water and tank conditions for a minimum of 3 wk before experimental manipulations. This period also allowed recovery from electrofishing and transportation and handling (Gollock 2002). Eels were maintained in plastic tanks, supplied with a constant flow of dechlorinated, aerated water at 11°C (±1°C), with a 12 h:12 h light:dark cycle.…”

Biogeographical Relationships of the Eel Parasite Anguillicola Crassus Revealed by Random Amplified Polymorphic Dna Markers (Rapds)

“…However, there is still a need in long term studies to have a better estimation of the virulence evolution. Finally, despite the growing interest on the effect of A. crassus on the host physiology (KELLY et al, 2000;GOLLOCK et al, 2004;SURES and KNOPF, 2004), we still do not really know the consequences of the parasite on the gonad maturation, the trans oceanic migration for reproduction and the reproduction success of the European eel. These knowledges might be important in order to protect the eel populations in the close future.…”