We cloned and sequenced the mitochondrial (mt) control region (CR) and flanking transfer RNA genes (T, P, and F) of the striped mullet, Mugil cephalus and designed species-specific primers to amplify the entire CR in specimens from the Pacific (Hawaii), the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic. We verified the absence of heteroplasmy and nuclear mtDNA duplications of this region in the organisms sa...

The intensive aquaculture needs accurate information on the identification and control of stress situations and/or diseases in order to ensure healthy fishes. The evaluation of blood parameters is the fastest way to detect stress symptoms. In this paper the hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), differential count of defense cells (leucocytes and...

Little is known about the prevalence and genotypes of Cryptosporidium in fish. The present study investigated the prevalence of Cryptosporidium species in cultured fingerlings (n=227), wild freshwater (n=227) and wild marine/estuarine species (n=255) of fish in Western Australia by PCR amplification at the 18S rRNA locus. Results revealed a low prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in fish ho...