Abstract: Two new species of banjo catfish of the genus Bunocephalus are described from the upper and middle rio Sao Francisco basins of Brazil. Bunocephalus hartti is distinguished from all its congeners by the absence of serrations along the anterior margin of pectoral-fin spine in adults (vs. presence of serrations along the anterior margin of the spine). Bunocephalus minerim can be diagnosed from all congeners,except B. larai, by the absence of an epiphyseal bar between the paired frontals (vs. presence of the epiphyseal bar at least in adults). Bunocephalus minerim is distinguished from B. larai and other congeners, except B. chamaizelus , by having nine principal caudal-fin rays (vs. 10 principal caudal-fin rays).

Abstract: Sex dimorphic growth pattern has significant theory and application implications in fish. Recently, a Y- and X-specific allele marker-assisted sex control technique has been developed for mass production of all-male population in yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco), but the genetic information for sex determination and sex control breeding has remained unclear. Here, we attempted to provide the first insight into a comprehensive transcriptome covering multiple tissues from XX females, XY males, and YY super-males of yellow catfish by using 454 GS-FLX platform, for a better assembly and gene coverage. A total of 1,202,933 high quality reads (about 540 Mbp) were obtained and assembled into 28,297 contigs and 141,951 singletons. BLASTX searches against the NCBI non-redundant protein database (nr) led a total of 52,564 unique sequences including 18,748 contigs and 33,816 singletons to match 25,669 known or predicted unique proteins. All of them with annotated function were categorized by gene ontology (GO) analysis, and 712 were assigned to reproduction and reproductive process. Some potential genes relevant to reproductive system including steroid hormone biosynthesis and GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) signaling pathway were further identified by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis; and at least 21 sex determination and differentiation-related genes, such as Dmrt1, Sox9a/b, Cyp19b, WT1, and AMH were identified and characterized. Additionally, a total of 82,794 simple sequence repeats (SSRs), 26,450 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and 4,145 insertions and deletions (INDELs) were revealed from the transcriptome data. Therefore, the current transcriptome resources highlight further studies on sex-control breeding in yellow catfish and will benefit future studies on reproduction and sex determination in teleost fish.

Abstract: Enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC), caused by Edwardsiella ictaluri, is the most problematic bacterial disease affecting catfish aquaculture in the southeastern United States. Efforts to develop an effective ESC vaccine have had limited industrial success. In commercial settings, ESC vaccines are typically administered by immersion when fry are transferred from the hatchery to rearing ponds. While this approach is a practical method of mass delivery, this strategy administers vaccines to very young fish, which lack a fully developed immune system. To circumvent this limitation, an oral vaccination strategy was evaluated as a means of immunizing catfish at the fingerling stage of production, when fish possess a more complete immune arsenal. A virulent E. ictaluri isolate (S97-773) was attenuated by successive passage on media containing increasing concentrations of rifamycin. In laboratory trials, cultured vaccine was diluted and mixed with feed (100 mL diluted vaccine/454 g feed). This mixture wa...

Abstract: Lectins have been reported from various tissues of a diversity of fish species including Japanese eel, conger eel, electric eel, bighead carp, gibel carp, grass carp, Arabian Gulf catfish, channel catfish, blue catfish, catfish, pike perch, perch, powan, zebrafish, toxic moray, cobia fish, steelhead trout, Japanese trout, Atlantic salmon, chinook salmon, olive rainbow smelt, rainbow smelt, white-spotted charr, tilapia, blue gourami, ayu, Potca fish, Spanish mackerel, gilt head bream, tench, roach, rudd, common skate, and sea lamprey. The tissues from which the lectins were isolated comprise gills, eggs, electric organ, stomach, intestine, and liver. Lectins have also been isolated from skin, mucus serum, and plasma. The lectins differ in molecular weight, number of subunits, glycosylation, sugar binding specificity and amino acid sequence. Their activities include antimicrobial, antitumor, immunoregulatory and a role in development.

Abstract: This article investigates the feasibility of reusing wastewater from striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) pond culture as nutrient input for integrated rice–Nile tilapia–green bean farming systems, and to what extent this could contribute to decreasing the environmental impacts on water quality from the striped catfish industry in the Mekong Delta. Four treatments in triplicates were used to investigate the growth of rice and green bean varieties under different combinations of inorganic fertilizer and water from the river and a striped catfish pond culture. The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was cultured at low density without feeding in a canal adjacent to the rice field. Rice yields ranged from 3,514 to 4,023 kg ha−1 with no significant differences between treatments (p > 0.05). The yield of green bean ranged from 2,671 to 3,282 kg ha−1 (p < 0.05), with the highest yields for beans only receiving water from the striped catfish pond. The water quality concentrations decreased significantl...

Abstract: Edwardsiella tarda is one of the serious fish pathogens infecting both cultured and wild fish species. This study aimed to assess the phenotypic characterization and pathogenicity of E. tarda isolated from Clarias gariepinus (Burchell) with dropsy and histopathological alterations. The causative agent was identified with Vitek 2, and its pathogenicity was determined by intramuscular injection. The challenged catfish exhibited vertical hanging, frothing, excess mucus production, listing, swollen abdomen, anorexia, fin and tail rot, and reddish operculum. The LD50 of E. tarda PBB and PBP strains was found to be 8.52 x 10 6 and 1.68 x 10 7 cells fish -1 , respectively. Histopathological observations on catfish infected naturally revealed lymphocyte infiltration in muscle and focal necrosis, hyperplasia, edema, and swelling of the gill lamellar epithelium. The kidney of diseased fish exhibited ischemic type tubulopathy, necrosis of nephritic tubules, hyperplastic hematopoietic tissue, rupture of the tubular basement membrane, hydropic dystrophy of nephritic cells, neutrophil infiltration, fibrinoid necrosis of nephretic tubules, hemosiderin deposition, and edema. The liver sections revealed lymphocyte infiltration, dilation of hepatic sinusoids, expansion of space between hepatic sinusoids, and focal necrosis. The inflammatory responses observed in kidney and liver in the present study were presumably suppuration and were attributed to the potential virulence factors of E. tarda.

Abstract: This study was conducted to determine the effect of dissolved oxygen (DO) levels on growth performance, energy budget and antioxidant responses of yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco. Yellow catfish was exposed to four levels of DO, consisting of hypoxia (2.28mgL(-1)), moderate hypoxia (4.04mgL(-1)), saturation (6.51mgL(-1)) and super-saturation groups (9.11mgL(-1)), respectively, for 8weeks. Specific growth rate and feed efficiency in dry matter were lowest in hypoxia and highest in the saturation and super-saturation groups. Apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter and energy increased with increasing DO levels. Gross energy and growth energy were lowest for hypoxia, followed by moderate hypoxia and the highest for other two groups. Faecal energy was highest in hypoxia and lowest in saturation and super-saturation group. DO levels also significantly influenced activities of antioxidant enzymes and malondialdehyde level in liver and serum. Based on the observation described previously, saturated DO level helps to improve growth performance, feed utilization and antioxidant responses in yellow catfish. Super-saturation did not increase fish performance. To our knowledge, this is the first study involved in the effect of DO levels on energy budget of fish and provides new insight into aeration regime for yellow catfish culture.

Abstract: Antimicrobial usage is common in Asian aquaculture. This study aimed to determine the quality of antimicrobial products used by Vietnamese striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) farmers. Twenty one antimicrobial products (11 products contained a single antimicrobial and 10 products contained a mixture of two different antimicrobials) commonly used by catfish farmers were obtained from so-called chemical shops located in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry was used to analyze concentration of sulfonamides, trimethoprim, amoxicillin, cefalexin and ciprofloxacin whereas concentrations of florfenicol and doxycycline were analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with UV detection. Results revealed that only 4/11 products with a single antimicrobial and 2/10 products with a mixture of antimicrobials contained active substances within ±10% of the concentration declared on the product label. Two products with antimicrobial mixtures did not contain any of the declared antimicrobials. Comparing two batches, analysis of 11 products revealed that only one product contained a concentration of active compound that varied with less than 10% in both batches. Several product labels provided inadequate information on how to calculate therapeutic dosage and further stated withdrawal time despite lack of pharmacokinetic data on the antimicrobials in catfish. There is an urgent need to strengthen approval procedures and in particular regularly to monitor the quality of antimicrobials used in Vietnamese aquaculture.

Abstract: The life cycle of Tylodelphys mashonense (Digenea: Diplostomidae), whose metacercariae occur in the cranial cavity of the widely cultivated catfish Clarias gariepinus, was resolved by the application of molecular markers. Both COI barcodes and ITS sequences obtained from diplostomid-like cercariae infecting Bulinus spp. from Mindu Dam, Morogoro, matched those acquired from metacercariae from the catfish C. gariepinus, and those from adult T. mashonense from the grey heron Ardea cinerea and the white egret Egretta alba. The success in linking the life cycle stages of T. mashonense using molecular tools highlights the usefulness of this approach in resolving the complex life cycles of digeneans in the absence of experimental establishment.

Abstract: Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors modulate food intake and glycemia in vertebrates, in part through interactions with hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons. The objective of this project was to elucidate the effects of ghrelin (GHRL), gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), cholecystokinin (CCK), glucagon-like peptide (GLP), pancreatic polypeptide (PP), and peptide YY (PYY) on appetite, glycemia, and hypothalamic expression of NPY and POMC in channel catfish. Catfish were injected intraperitoneally with a single peptide at concentrations of either 0 (control), 50, 100, or 200 ng/g body weight (BW), respectively. Fish were allowed to recover for 30 min, and then fed to satiation over 1 h. Feed intake was determined 1h post-feeding. Catfish injected with GHRL at 50 and 100 ng/g BW and GRP at 200 ng/g BW consumed significantly (P<0.05) less feed compared to controls. A tendency (P<0.1) to suppress feed intake was also observed in the 200 ng/g BW GHRL and PP treatments. PYY, CCK, and GLP had no effects on feed intake. Glycemia was not affected by GHRL, GRP, PP, and PYY treatments, but was suppressed by CCK. A tendency toward lower plasma glucose concentrations was observed in fish administered GLP at 50 ng/g BW. Hypothalamic NPY expression was highly variable and not significantly affected by treatment. POMC expression was also variable, but tended to be reduced by the highest concentration of CCK. These results provide new insight into the roles and regulation of gut neuropeptides in catfish appetite and glycemia.

Abstract: Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are typically associated with stress response and tolerance. The Indian catfish, Clarias batrachus, is a freshwater air-breathing hypoxia tolerant teleost and is potentially important catfish species for aquaculture and for its economic value as food. The present study aimed at determining the transcriptional response of three Hsps, CbHsc71, CbHsp90α and CbHsp10 in hypoxia tolerant Indian catfish, C. batrachus, under experimental and natural hypoxia. The expression profile of above three genes were studied under different periods of hypoxia, through qRT-PCR. Primers were designed from ESTs obtained through SSH libraries constructed from hypoxia treated fishes. The Hsp10 ESTs and deduced protein was in silico characterized for its ORF and for its physical and chemical properties, respectively, using GeneScan, blastp, scanprosite, superfamily and other softwares. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on deduced amino acid sequences of Hsc71, Hsp90α, Hsp90β of Homo sapiens and other fishes along with CbHsp10 protein in MEGA4. The deduced protein sequences of CbHsp10 was found to have characteristic Hsp10 family signatures, and it is proposed for inclusion of methionine in the consensus sequences of Hsp10 family signature, after the “proline” residue. At transcription level, these genes were found to be differentially regulated under hypoxia stress, in different tissues of C. batrachus. The CbHsc71 and CbHsp90α were up-regulated after short and long-term hypoxia, whereas CbHsp10 was significantly down-regulated after short-term hypoxia. The differential expression of these Hsps may play a role in protection and survival under hypoxia induced oxidative stress in C. batrachus.

Abstract: Toxic effects of sulfide come from a poisoning of a number of enzymes, especially cytochrome c oxidase, which catalyzes the terminal step in mitochondrial aerobic respiration. Despite this, some estuarine plants live in sulfide-rich sediments. We hypothesized estuarine and flooding-tolerant species might be more tolerant of sulfide compared to upland species, and this was tested by measures of root cytochrome c oxidase and alcohol dehydrogenase activities in extracts exposed to sulfide. Enzyme activities were measured in 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 µM sodium sulfide, and compared among 17 species of plants. Activities of alcohol dehydrogenase and cytochrome c oxidase were both reduced by increasing sulfide concentration, but cytochrome c oxidase was more sensitive to sulfide compared to alcohol dehydrogenase. Activities of cytochrome c oxidase were reduced to near zero at 5 to 10 µM sulfide whereas alcohol dehydrogenase activities were only reduced by about 50% at 10 µM sulfide. All species were sensitive to increasing sulfide, but to different degrees. Cytochrome c oxidase in flooding-sensitive species was decreased to near zero activity at 5 µM sulfide, whereas activities in some flooding-tolerant species were still detectable until 15 µM sulfide. Cytochrome c oxidase activities in some estuarine species were low even in the absence of sulfide, perhaps an adaptation to avoid sulfide vulnerability in their native, sulfide-rich habitat. This illustrates the potent metabolic effects of sulfide, and this is the first demonstration of varying sensitivities of cytochrome c oxidase to sulfide across organisms, making these data of novel importance.

Abstract: Few studies have been carried out to assess the neurotoxic effect of aluminum (Al) on the aquatic creatures. This study aims to evaluate the neurotoxic effects of long term Al exposure on the Nile catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and the potential ameliorative influence of ascorbic acid (ASA) over a 180 days exposure period. Forty eight Nile catfish were divided into four groups: control group, placed in clean water, ASA exposed group (5mg/l), AlCl3 received group (28.96 μg/l; 1/20 LC50), and group received AlCl3 concomitantly with ASA. Brain tissue was examined by using flow cytometry to monitor the apoptotic cell population, HPLC analysis for the quantitative estimation of brain monoamine neurotransmitters [serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE)]. The amino acid neurotransmitters [serum taurine, glycine, aspartate and glutamine and brain gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)] levels were assessed, plus changes in brain tissue structure using light microscopy. The concentration of Al in both brain tissue and serum was determined by using atomic absorption spectrophotometery. The Al content in serum and brain tissue were both elevated and Al exposure induced an increase in the number of apoptotic cells, a marked reduction of the monoamine and amino acids neurotransmitters levels and changes in tissue morphology. ASA supplementation partially abolished the effects of AL on the reduced neurotransmitter, the degree of apoptosis and restored the morphological changes to the brain. Overall, our results indicate that, ASA is a promising neuroprotective agent against for Al-induced neurotoxicity in the Nile catfish.

Abstract: The Amazonian catfish, Panaque nigrolineatus, consume large amounts of wood in their diets. The nitrogen-fixing community within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of these catfish was found to include nifH phylotypes that are closely related to Clostridium sp., Alpha and Gammaproteobacteria, and sequences associated with GI tracts of lower termites. Fish fed a diet of sterilized palm wood were found to contain nifH messenger RNA within their GI tracts, displaying high sequence similarity to the nitrogen-fixing Bradyrhizobium group. Nitrogenase activity, measured by acetylene reduction assays, could be detected in freshly dissected GI tract material and also from anaerobic enrichment cultures propagated in nitrogen-free enrichment media; nifH sequences retrieved from these cultures were dominated by Klebsiella- and Clostridium-like sequences. Microscopic examination using catalyzed reporter deposition-enhanced immunofluorescence revealed high densities of nitrogenase-containing cells colonizing the woody digesta within the GI tract, as well as cells residing within the intestinal mucous layer. Our findings suggest that the P. nigrolineatus GI tract provides a suitable environment for nitrogen fixation that may facilitate production of reduced nitrogen by the resident microbial population under nitrogen limiting conditions. Whether this community is providing reduced nitrogen to the host in an active or passive manner and whether it is present in a permanent or transient relationship remains to be determined. The intake of a cellulose rich diet and the presence of a suitable environment for nitrogen fixation suggest that the GI tract microbial community may allow a unique trophic niche for P. nigrolineatus among fish.