Fish vaccination has been increasingly exploited as a tool to control pathogen
infection. The production of immunoglobulin following vaccination might be affected
by several factors such as management procedures, water temperature, and the presence
of xenobiotics. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the kinetics of
immunoglobulin production in silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen)
inoculated with inactivated Aeromonas hydrophila and kept at two
different water temperatures (17.4±0.4° or 21.3±0.3°C). The effect of a second
antigen inoculation and exposure of fish to sublethal concentrations of the
herbicides atrazine and glyphosate at 10% of the lethal concentration
(LC50-96h) on specific serum antibodies were also investigated.
Antibodies to A. hydrophila were detected as early as 7 days
post-inoculation and increased steadily up to 35 days. The kinetics of antibody
production were similar in fish kept at 17.4±0.4° and 21.3±0.3°C, and reinoculation
of antigen at 21 days after priming failed to increase specific antibody levels.
Intriguingly, we found that, in fish exposed to atrazine and glyphosate, the
secretion of specific antibodies was higher than in non-exposed inoculated fish.
These findings are important for the design of vaccines and vaccination strategies in
Neotropical fish species. However, because atrazine and glyphosate are widespread
contaminants of soil and water, their immune-stimulating effect could be harmful, in
that fish living in herbicide-contaminated water might have increased concentrations
of nonspecific antibodies that could mediate tissue injury.