Emamectin Benzoate Treatment of Hybrid Grouper Infected With Sea Lice in Hong Kong

Overview

Journal Front Vet Sci

Specialty Veterinary Medicine

Date 2021 Mar 1

PMID 33644159

Citations 1

Authors

Sophie St-Hilaire

Tzu Hsuan Cheng

Stephen Chi Ho Chan

Chi Fai Leung

Ka Man Chan

Kwok Zu Lim

William Furtado

Giana Bastos Gomes

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Sea lice (Copepoda: Caligidae) are ectoparasites which negatively impact marine aquaculture species around the world. There are a limited number of treatments licensed for use against sea lice in tropical and semi-tropical farmed fish species. Emamectin benzoate (EB) was an effective pharmaceutical drug against sea lice infestations in several salmon industries before resistance to the product developed. This drug has not been extensively tested in marine fish within Asia. The objective of this study was to determine whether this drug could be used to treat oral infections with sea lice in hybrid grouper ( × ) cultured in saltwater net-pen sites in Hong Kong. We observed an overall reduction in sea lice infections over time, starting on the last day of the treatment up to the end of our study (i.e., 14 days after the last EB treatment). We also observed a large variation in concentrations of EB in fish on the last day of the treatment, which provides an explanation for the variation in response to the treatment. It also suggests that distribution of the medication to fish in saltwater net-pens is difficult, especially when medication is hand-mixed in the feed and possibly unevenly distributed in the daily rations. Overall, this study provides preliminary evidence that EB could be used to treat sea lice found in Hong Kong and potentially in other regions of SE Asia.

Citing Articles

Neurodevelopmental Toxicity of Emamectin Benzoate to the Early Life Stage of Zebrafish Larvae ().

Gu J, Guo L, Zhu Y, Qian L, Shi L, Zhang H Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(4).

PMID: 36835165 PMC: 9964762. DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043757.

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