PUBLICATION

Behavioral and Reproductive Effects of Environmental Enrichment and Pseudoloma neurophilia infection on Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Authors
Estes, J.M., Altemara, M.L., Crim, M.J., Fletcher, C.A., Whitaker, J.W.
ID
ZDB-PUB-210507-1
Date
2021
Source
Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS   60(3): 249-258 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Crim, Marcus J.
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Female
  • Fish Diseases*
  • Male
  • Microsporidia
  • Microsporidiosis*
  • Reproduction
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
33952385 Full text @ J. Am. Assoc. Lab. Anim. Sci.
Abstract
Recent studies have shown beneficial effects of environmental enrichment (EE) for zebrafish, while infection of zebrafishwith the common pathogen Pseudoloma neurophilia has negative effects. This study investigates the effects of P. neurophiliainfection and EE in housing and breeding tanks on measures of behavior, growth, and reproduction. Zebrafish were sociallyhoused and were either infected, P. neurophilia-infected (PNI) (n = 12 tanks), or SPF for P. neurophilia (SPF) (n = 24 tanks).Fish were housed with or without EE, which consisted of placing plastic plants in the tanks; sprigs from plants were placedin half of the breeding tanks for half of breedings, alternating breeding tanks without EE weekly. Behavioral testing included the Novel Tank Diving Test (NTT) and Light/Dark Preference Test (LDT) conducted prior to breeding. At the end of the study, biometric data were collected. Histopathology and molecular analysis for common diseases in fish confirmed that SPF fish remained SPF and that fish from all PNI tanks were infected. PNI fish produced significantly fewer eggs and had lower body weights and lengths than did SPF fish. Fish with EE had longer body lengths, than did fish without EE, and male fish had longer body lengths than female fish. The biometric results and reproductive measures show that SPF fish exhibited better growth and suggest that EE in housing tanks could improve fish growth. The behavioral test results were inconclusive regarding whether infection status or EE altered anxiety-like behavior. Our results support other recent studies showing negative effects of P. neurophilia infection on zebrafish.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping