Consequences of reduced effectiveness of salmon lice treatments for lice control.
Prev Vet Med
; 224: 106134, 2024 Mar.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38325114
ABSTRACT
The effective control of ectoparasitic salmon lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, in fish farms is challenged by the salmon lice having developed resistance towards several antiparasitic drugs and by the effectiveness of non-medicinal treatments being limited by considerations of fish welfare. When new antiparasitics are introduced to the market, these should be used sparingly to slow resistance development. Using a population model for salmon lice parameterised for salmonid fish farms in Norway, we quantified how reduced treatment effectiveness influences treatment frequency and lice abundance. Furthermore, we investigated when in the production cycle a highly effective lice treatment leads to the largest reduction in the total number of treatments, mean lice abundance and lice larvae production. Results showed that reductions in treatment effectiveness to lower than 50% led to the steepest increases in treatment frequency and mean lice abundance, as well as to increased risk that lice abundance increased beyond control. The timing of the most effective treatment had only moderate effects on the total treatment need and the mean number of adult female lice through the production cycle, but large effect on the production of lice larvae in spring. These findings imply that farmers can optimise the timing of the most effective treatment to reduce the release of lice larvae in the period of year when wild salmonids are in coastal waters, without compromising total treatment need or mean lice levels.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Salmonidae
/
Salmo salar
/
Copépodos
/
Enfermedades de los Peces
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Prev Vet Med
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
Pais de publicación:
Países Bajos