Characterization of the acute inflammatory response in the hybrid tambacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus male × Colossoma macropomum female) (Osteichthyes)

Abstract

This work evaluated the acute inflammatory response induced by injections of 0.5 mL saline solution (control), 500 µg carrageenin and 0.5 mL thioglycollate 3% in the swim bladder of juvenile tambacu hybrid. Fish were distributed in three treatments, three replications and acclimated for a period of 10 days before assay. The cell characterization from the inflammatory exudate was performed in Giemsa and PAS stained smears. Carrageenin, injected in fish, showed an increase on the total number of cells in the inflammatory exudate when compared to saline and thioglycollate injected. Whereas, for carrageenin-injected fish, the percentage of thrombocyte was higher than thioglycollate. On the other hand, granulocyte percentage in thioglycollate-injected fish was higher than the ones injected using carrageenin. Carrageenin provoked the highest migration of macrophage to the inflammatory site. The PAS method confirmed the presence of three types of granulocytes: eosinophilic granular cell (EGC) type 1 with the characteristics of a special granulocytic cell commonly found in the circulating blood; EGC type 2 shorter than the last one and neutrophil. This study contributes to a better understanding of the inflammatory response and infectious processes in native fish.