Immunotoxicological effects of a sub-chronic exposure to selected current-use pesticides in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Many current-use pesticides (CUPs) are found at increasing concentrations in aquatic environments, yet relatively little is known about their effects on the immune system of fish. We examined the in vivo effects of three pesticides (chlorothalonil, cypermethrin and pentachlorophenol) on the immune system of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) by assessing a suite of innate immune function tests, as well as a host resistance test using Listonella anguillarum. Increased activity of phagocytic leukocytes, as evidenced using flow cytometry, was observed following 28-day exposures to pentachlorophenol (1 μg/L and 2 μg/L), but not for cypermethrin or chlorothalonil, although a trend of increasing activity was noted for chlorothalonil. No recovery was observed during a 14-day post-exposure chlorothalonil experiment, as evidenced by continued elevation of respiratory burst and percent phagocytic cells at the lowest exposure concentrations (100 ng/L and 200 ng/L), suggesting a prolonged CUP-induced impact on the immune system. No effects of any pesticide on body weights, direct lethality, serum lysozyme or relative leukocyte differential were observed, suggesting that modulation of the cellular responses of the innate immune system represents a sensitive sub-lethal endpoint for these three pesticides. However, a lack of detectable effects of these CUPs on host resistance to L. anguillarum in our study may reflect a dose-response range that did not elicit an effect on those immune responses responsible for control and clearance of this particular pathogen. Additional research may provide more insight into the immunomodulatory effects of these and other CUPs, and the implications for host resistance against a variety of bacterial, viral and macroparasitic pathogens.