1 NOVEMBER 1998
THE EFFECTS OF PROPHYLACTIC FORMALIN BATH TREATMENT ON BLOOD GLUCOSE IN THE GIANT TIGER PRAWN PENAEUS MONODON
E. H. van Ham, M.R. Hall-1998
Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, 29(3): 357-364
Abstract:
Juvenile Penaeus monodon prawns were bathed in seawater-formaldehyde concentrations of 312, 625, and 1,250 ppm for up to 6 h. The tests were conducted at concentrations in excess of those previously published, in order to examine maximum tolerance levels to formaldehyde. Physiological stress was monitored by measurement of blood glucose levels. Under controlled laboratory conditions, 12 h food deprived juvenile prawns exposed to formaldehyde concentrations of 312 ppm did not exhibit signs of stress. However, bathing in formaldehyde concentrations of 625 and 1,250 ppm, caused significant increases (P < 0.05) in blood glucose levels after 2 and 4 h, respectively. There were no mortalities in any treatment group. In contrast, juvenile prawns from grow-out ponds bathed in 625 ppm of formaldehyde immediately after 2.5 h of transport did not exhibit significant increases in blood glucose. This may be due to their nutritional status and these results are discussed. No significant change in blood glucose levels was observed in bilaterally eyestalk ablated prawns after ex posure to 1,250 ppm formaldehyde. The increase of blood glucose due to formaldehyde treatment is presumably mediated by a stress response, which includes crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH), and not a result of non-specific cell lysis and death.
(Department of Experimental Zoology, Faculty of Sciences,
Catholic University, Toernooiveld 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands)