Effects of Oxytetracycline Treatments on the Infection Potential of Scuticociliates in Cultured Olive Flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus

The modulatory effects of oxytetracycline treatments at high concentrations on the infection potential of scuticociliates in cultured juvenile olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) and density of the ciliates in culturing water were investigated. The groups bathed with 400 and 500 ppm of oxytetracycline showed significantly lower intensities of scuticociliates on the fish and considerably lower number of the ciliates in culturing water when compared with the control group. However, the intensity of scuticociliates on the fish in the group bathed with 300 ppm of oxytetracycline was not significantly different with that of the control group in spite of considerably lower number of scuticociliates in culturing water than in that of the control group. Although the intensities of scuticociliates on the fish intubated orally with 400 and 500 mg/kg of oxytetracycline were lower than that of the control group, there were no statistical significances. In contrast, the fish fed 300 mg/kg of oxytetracycline showed significantly lower intensity of scuticociliates when compared with other groups. The results of this study suggest that oxytetracycline treatments can modulate occurrence of scuticociliatosis in fish farms probably through change of bacterial density, damaging to scuticociliatosis and immuno-suppression of fish.