A case of encysted endoparasitic copepods in the Spiny cheek grouper

During the routine biological investigations on Epinephelus diacanthus (Spiny cheek grouper), a fish with a pair of cysts attached to the abdominal musculature was observed. The cysts were oval, thin-walled, dark grey coloured, measured approximately 3 cm in diameter, and located adjacent to each other

Assessment of biosafety and fillet-residues After florfenicol exposures in Trachinotus blochii to ensure safe applications in disease incidences

Trachinotus blochii is a promising mariculture fish species. Scientific data on biosafety and fillet residues of florfenicol exposure, one recommended amphenicol antimicrobial for aquaculture use, remains unknown in T. blochii, despite its criticality for prudent application. Accordingly, the paper evaluated the safety (regarding mortality, symptoms, weight gain, and histopathology) of dietary florfenicol after therapeutic (10 mg Kg-1 for ten days) and excessive (three, five, and ten times the therapeutic dose for 10, 20, and 30 days) exposures. There was no mortality in any group. The clinical abnormalities were noted only in 10X group from the 25th exposure day, which disappeared on the fourth day after withdrawal. Reduced growth was recorded at 5X and 10X groups from 20 and 30 exposure days, respectively. Histological lesion’s severity was in the liver > kidney > gill > spleen > muscle > intestine. The lesion severity relied on the quantity and duration of exposures, with maximum severity in 5X and 10X groups on the 30th day. After recommended therapeutic exposure, fillet residues were below the maximum residual limit accepted by the European Union (1000 µg Kg-1) from day three of the withdrawal, showing a minimum three-day is necessary to reach a safe, acceptable level

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Microplastic contamination in commercially important bivalves from the southwest coast of India

Due to the ever-increasing production of plastic litter and its subsequent accumulation as microplastic in the environment, the pollution caused by microplastics is considered as a global menace, especially in the coastal ecosystem. Occurrence of microplastics in water and three commercially important bivalves, Viz. green mussel (Perna viridis), edible oyster (Magallana bilineata) and black clam (Villorita cyprinoides) from five different locations of southwest coast of India was studied. The highest abundance of microplastics was observed in water samples from Periyar River (163.67 items L−1). Among bivalves, the highest abundance of microplastics was observed in clams from Periyar River (digestive gland: 22.8 g-1; gill: 29.6 g-1), whereas the lowest abundance was observed in mussels sampled from Vembanad estuary (digestive gland: 5.6 g-1; gill: 8.5 g −1). Fibers were the most prevalent type of microplastics found in bivalve tissues across each location. Microplastics less than 2 mm were the most prevalent based on size. Polypropylene and high-density polyethylene were the two types of microplastics observed based on the results of Raman spectroscopy. No relationship was observed between shell length, tissue weight and microplastic abundance. A strong positive correlation was observed between the microplastic presence in water and bivalve tissues. The usefulness of sedentary bivalves in assessing the aquatic pollution has been validated through this study

Dermal fibroma in a tawny nurse shark, Nebrius ferrugineus (Lesson, 1831)

Sharks are ecologically and economically significant group of fishes which invite both domestic as well as international demand. The tawny nurse shark, Nebrius ferrugineus, is a commonly occurring species in the landings in India forming about 1.4% of the shark catches in the region. Besides, N. ferrugineus is one among the shark species which are listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in their Global Red List assessment (Pillans, 2003). Tumours in both captive and feral fishes are not uncommon and most of the tumours that occur in terrestrial animals have been reported in fishes. Presently, there is a growing interest to study fish neoplasms as a means of detecting injurious agents in the environment. Furthermore, the usefulness of fish as a model for studying human diseases including neoplasms has also prompted researchers to pay much interest in unravelling tumorigenesis in fish (Schmale, Nairn, & Winn, 2007). While there are no systematic studies on fish neoplasms from India, some of the reported tumours include odontoma in pickhandle barracuda, Sphyraena jello (Singaravel et al., 2017), cutaneous myxoma in blackfin sea catfish (Singaravel, Gopalakrishnan, Vijayakumar, & Raja, 2015), and lipoma in a gold fish (Sood et al., 2017). Fibromas are benign neoplasms of mesenchymal origin composed of fibrous connective tissue. Different types of mesenchymal tumours have been reported in many fish species which include but not limited to fibrosarcoma in Goldfish (Ahmed, 1980) and red band parrot fish (Rezaie, Dezfuly, & Peyghan, 2017)

Histopathological evaluation of bivalves from the southwest coast of India as an indicator of environmental quality

Bivalve molluscs have been regarded as excellent bioindicators of environmental pollution as they persistently accumulate toxic contaminants present in their ecosystem. Histological alterations in the digestive gland and gills of three bivalve sp., Viz. edible oyster (Magallana bilineata), green mussel (Perna viridis) and black clam (Villorita cyprinoides) from ecologically sensitive regions of international significance on the southwest coast of India were evaluated using a semi-quantitative histopathological index to assess the environmental quality. The prominent tissue alterations included tubular vacuolation, haemocytic infiltration, parasitosis, lamellar disorganization, and the presence of prokaryotic inclusions. The presence of ten trace metals was also evaluated in the digestive gland of bivalves. The histopathological indices were evaluated season-wise and region-wise. Seasonal variation in all the reaction patterns was observed in the digestive gland across sampling zones, with the highest indices observed during post-monsoon. The indices for all the reaction patterns in the digestive gland were significantly higher in bivalves from Vembanad Lake (Z4), followed by Periyar River (Z5). The indices for cellular changes and parasitosis in gills were the highest in the Ashtamudi estuary (Z1) and Z5, respectively. The global histopathological indices of the digestive gland and gills were also the highest in Z4, followed by Z5. Principal component analysis revealed that Z4 was distinct with the highest metal pollution index. A positive relation was observed with heavy metals, digestive gland histological alterations, and season and region of sampling

What Contributes to COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy? A Systematic Review of the Psychological Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

Vaccine hesitancy plays a crucial role in worldwide pandemic-control efforts. The multifaceted nature of vaccine hesitancy entails many psychological factors that are widely discussed in the literature, although few studies specifically compile these factors. Thus, this systematic review aims to synthesize the psychological factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy. As per the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines, a systematic search was conducted on electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, PsycNET, and Web of Science, and a manual search was conducted on Google Scholar. Out of the 2289 articles obtained, 79 studies that met the inclusion criteria were deemed eligible for the review. The findings highlight appraisals of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine safety and side effects, vaccine confidence/trust, trust in government and healthcare professionals, scepticism around vaccine production, conspiracy beliefs, emotions, and information and knowledge about the vaccine as the major psychological factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy. Concerningly, misinformation on COVID-19 vaccination spread through social media platforms, increasing vaccine hesitancy. Recommendations for government authorities, healthcare professionals, and implications for future research are also outlined

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Not AvailableIn the present study, dietary fibre incorporated functional sausage was prepared by optimising the ingredients viz. tuna mince, wheat and oats dietary fibre using response surface methodology. D-optimal mixture response surface experimental design with 13 runs was formulated for the development of dietary fibre incorporated tuna sausage. The optimum combinations of sausage were found to be 62.5% fish mince, 2.5% wheat and 5% oats fibre and 66.8% fish mince and 1.6% of oats and wheat fibre each. The quality evaluation of combination sausage prepared at optimum conditions along with control sample was carried out based on biochemical, physical and sensory parameters during storage in chilled condition at 2°C. Storage stability studies of the optimised sausage samples indicated a shelf life of 14 days under chilled conditions. Multivariate statistical control charts based on T2 and PSE statistics were developed to monitor quality variations during storage.Not Availabl

Therapeutic efficacy evaluation of florfenicol against Vibrio harveyi in snubnose pompano (Trachinotus blochii)

Bacterial diseases cause severe economic losses in aquaculture. Well-timed therapeutic interventions with suitable doses of antimicrobials are crucial for minimizing these economic losses (Stentiford et al., 2012). For this, knowledge of the drug efficacy against major pathogens of each targeted host is critical so that overdosing and using ineffective drugs can be avoided. Nevertheless, information on the in vivo efficacy of antimicrobials in most tropical marine fish is lacking. Among the four recommended antimicrobials for aquaculture by USFDA (2008), florfenicol (FFC) is usually preferred. In vivo efficacy of FFC against certain aquatic pathogens, including Vibrio harveyi (Parmar, Yusufzai, Parmar, Nanjiyani, & Chavda, 2018) has been proved in several freshwater fish (Darwish 2007; Gaunt et al., 2004; Soto, Endris, & Hawke, 2010), but in a limited marine fish (Feng, Ruan, Chen, Luo, & Dong, 2018; Kogiannou, Nikoloudaki, Katharios, Triga, & Rigos, 2021). Among the high-value cultivable marine tropical finfishes, Trachinotus blochii is a promising species (FAO, 2021). Incidences of infectious diseases, especially vibriosis, however, hamper successful farming practices. While biosafety and tissue residue of oxytetracycline were evaluated in T. blochii (Sharma et al., 2021), in vivo efficacy information is lacking in this species. Hence, the present study aimed to evaluate in vivo therapeutic efficacy of FFC in T. blochii against experimental V. harveyi infection

Red sea bream iridovirus infection in cage farmed Asian sea bass (Lates calcarifer): Insights into the pathology, epizootiology, and genetic diversity

Red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV) is an emerging viral pathogen having significant socio-economic and environmental impacts on marine and brackish aquaculture systems. The study documents certain interesting findings of an RSIV disease outbreak that caused 50% cumulative mortality among cage farmed Asian sea bass in India. The confirmatory diagnosis was made based on internationally approved protocols. The affected fish showed splenomegaly, anaemia, and abnormally enlarged cells within the spleen, liver, kidney, and brain. The consistent presence of two fish pathogens, viz., Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio fluvialis, in the liver, along with characteristic vibrio-induced pathologies were noted, indicating the possible role of these bacterial pathogens in RSIV pathogenesis during the outbreak. More strikingly, the surviving fish were found to carry the virus even after two months post-outbreak, warranting future investigations on the carrier status of RSIV survivors. Transmission electron microscopy in the survivors demonstrated atypical virus particles within the degenerated cells of the vital organs, suggesting the role of host immune response in preventing the maturation of RSIV particles in the survivors. Phylogram based on MCP and ATPase genes demonstrated the spread of the same RSIV clone across different countries, regardless of the fish species. Results also revealed the presence of two RSIV subtypes. Both subtypes were mainly distributed in marine demersal fishes of Asian countries. Presently, subtype 2 is the most frequently reported one. Subtype 1 revealed higher genetic diversity with a wider geographical spread and host range. Molecular analyses revealed that MCP and ATPase genes could be targeted in RSIV subtyping, with MCP as a better candidate. A purifying selection was observed on the MCP gene that can be applied for diagnostic protocols. In short, the study generates certain thought-provoking insights on RSIV through the analyses of a recent outbreak along with the genetic and epizootiological data of global strains. Further, the paper also forms the first report on the presence of RSIV in surviving fish post-disease outbreak in the absence of clinical signs. Altogether, the results highlight the necessity of strengthening quarantine and RSIV diagnostic measures to have sustainable aquaculture practices