An Analysis of the Effect of Rearing Temperature on the Prevalences of Myxosporea in Experimentally Infected Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

Abstract

Experimentally reared 10-day-old common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) were exposed to natural infection by Myxosporea by holding for 14 days in a pond known to be highly infective. They were then incubated in cement tanks at three predetermined temperatures of 25.3 ± 0.4°C, 28.0 ± 0.4°C, and 31.1 ± 0.()°C. Four species of Myxosporea were recovered: Myxobolus koi Kudo, 1920; Myxobolus tayamai Kudo, 1915; Myxobolus artus Akhmerov, 1960; and Thelohanellus callisporis Ha Ky, 1971. Results revealed that with the possible exception of M. toyamai, which occurred only with extremely low prevalences, all other species developed at all temperatures tested. Prevalences of infection, however, varied with species and rearing temperature, M. koi and T. callisporis having significantly lower prevalences at higher temperature, whereas prevalences of M. artus did not differ significantly among the three temperatures tested.