Fish Pathogenesis Interactions: Effect on Protein Make-Up and Biometallic Absorption with Parasite Distribution Ecology in Garhwal Himalayan and Gangetic Plains Fish
摘要
The infected intestinal tissues of hill-stream fishes, such as Schizothorax richardsonii, Sciaena coitor and Channa punctatus, showed a significant increase in protein content. Gonadal development, as indicated by parameters like condition factor (CF) and gonadosomatic index (GSI), was notably reduced during non-spawning periods. Infected fishes also displayed a depletion of cholesterol. The glycogen content in C. punctatus increased by 52.96% in infected individuals compared to non-infected ones, which correlated with lower levels of cestode, nematode and acanthocephalan infections. Advanced methods like energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXMA) revealed the presence of cysteine and cystine, particularly in the harder tissues such as spines and rostellar hooks of cestodes and acanthocephalans, as well as in nematode spines. This synthesis of biochemical correlates provides an updated understanding of helminthic infections using modern detection techniques.