Involvement of fish immunomarkers in environmental biomonitoring approach: Urban and agri-viticultural context

• Fish immune parameters were very sensitive to agri-viticultural chemicals.
• Immunomodulations followed the temporal variability due to different treatments.
• Immune parameters give a global view of organism and ecosystem health.
• Growing interest for fish immunomarkers in environmental risk assessment.

The Champagne region (France) is characterized by various chemical environmental pressures which could interfere with the immune status of natural populations of European bullhead, Cottus sp. Some adult fish were caught by electrofishing in spring, summer and autumn to determined immune effect of urban (Muizon), intensive agricultural (Bouy; Prunay) or viticultural (Serzy; Prunay) influences. The major results demonstrated an increase of cellular mortality and a decrease of phagocytosis activity in the stations impacted by agri-viticultural chemicals. These immunomodulations followed the temporal variability due to different treatments (agricultural impacts on spring; viticultural effects on autumn). At the present time, not enough data was provided to confirm the impact of agri-viticultural chemicals on fish immune system without interaction with other environmental factors. For example, in summer, the immunomarkers seems to be not only correlated with water contamination but also with other environmental factors (pathogens, physical field degradation, nutrients, temperature …). Nevertheless, immune parameters give a global view of organism and ecosystem health explaining growing interest for these biomarkers in environmental risk assessment.