ABSTRACT: Spironucleus barkhanus from muscle abscesses of farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L., and from the gall bladder of grayling Thymallus thymallus (L.) was cultivated axenically in a medium routinely used for cultivation of the human pathogen Giardia duodenalis. Trophozoites multiplied by binary division, but multinucleated cells (<10 nuclei) were frequently observed. Complete cell divisions were never observed in these cells. Both strains grew at all temperatures tested (5, 10, 15 and 20°C). However, continuous growth of the salmon strain at 20°C was not possible. Growth potential, calculated as minimum generation time, showed relatively small differences both between strains and among temperatures, but the results indicate that the grayling strain had both a slightly higher optimum temperature and a higher upper temperature limit than the salmon strain.

KEY WORDS: Farmed salmon · Giardia · Hexamita · Nuclei acid staining · Systemic infection

Published in DAO Vol. 33, No. 1 (1998) on May 14
ISSN: 0177-5103. Copyright © Inter-Research, Oldendorf/Luhe, 1998