Enhanced susceptibility of tilapia to Flavobacterium columnare after parasitism by Ich

What is it about?

Bacterium Flavobacterium columnare and parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich) are two common pathogens of fish that may result in heavy economic losses for aquaculture. There is no information available on whether parasite infection will increase the susceptibility of hybrid tilapia to F. columnare. The objective of this study was to evaluate the susceptibility of hybrid tilapia to the bacterium F. columnare, including fish mortality and bacterial loads in fish after parasitism by Ich.

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Why is it important?

The results demonstrated that the Ich-parasitized tilapia showed higher mortality when co-infected with F. columnare than non-parasitized fish. The bacterial loads in Ich-parasitized fish were 10 fold or higher than seen in non-parasitized fish. The results of this study are important to fish health managers and farmers because prevention of parasite infection in fish may not only reduce the direct damage caused by the parasite but may also reduce fish mortality due to bacterial co-infection.