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This work evaluated the acute inflammatory response induced by injections of 0.5 mL saline solution (control), 500 microg carrageenin and 0.5 mL thioglycollate 3% in the swim bladder of juvenile tambacu hybrid. Fish were distributed in three treatments, three replications and acclimated for a period of 10 days before assay. The cell characterization from the inflammatory exudate was performed in Giemsa and PAS stained smears. Carrageenin, injected in fish, showed an increase on the total number of cells in the inflammatory exudate when compared to saline and thioglycollate injected. Whereas, for carrageenin-injected fish, the percentage of thrombocyte was higher than thioglycollate. On the other hand, granulocyte percentage in thioglycollate-injected fish was higher than the ones injected using carrageenin. Carrageenin provoked the highest migration of macrophage to the inflammatory site. The PAS method confirmed the presence of three types of granulocytes: eosinophilic granular cell (EGC) type 1 with the characteristics of a special granulocytic cell commonly found in the circulating blood; EGC type 2 shorter than the last one and neutrophil. This study contributes to a better understanding of the inflammatory response and infectious processes in native fish.

This work describes the presence of Contracaecum sp. larvae (Nematoda: Anisakidae) found in food fish of economic importance captured in occidental marshlands in the State of Maranhão, Brazil. Hoplias malabaricus (Erythrinidae) and Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus (Erythrinidae), commonly called "traíra" and "jejú", respectively, were examined. All H. malabaricus were infected with a mean intensity of 24.6+/-38.3 (1-137 parasites per host) while eighty percent of H. unitaeniatus showed a mean intensity of 10.4+/-9.2 (2-31) parasites. Nematodes were most similar to larvae of a type 2 described by Moravec, Kohn and Fernandes [Moravec, F., Kohn, A., Fernandes, B.M.M., 1993. Nematode parasites of fishes of the Parana River, Brazil. Part 2. Seuratoidea, Ascaridoidea, Habronematoidea and Acuarioidea. Folia Parasitol. 40, 115-134], but differed in having a longer intestinal caecum and greater caecum/ventricular appendix ratio. Larval measurements and a description of their Brazilian fish hosts are presented.

The present work studied the prevalence and histopathology of Neoechinorhynchus curemai Noronha, 1973 (Acanthocephala; Neoechinorhynchidae) from curimbatá, Prochilodus lineatus Valenciennes, 1836. Eighteen fishes with averages of 46.7 +/- 1.1 cm length and 1,674.8 +/- 75.6 g weight were collected with net, bimonthly from December 1995 thru December 1996 in the hydroelectric power station of Volta Grande Reservoir (Cemig), Minas Gerais, Brazil. From analysed fishes, 15 were infected with acanthocephalans in the intestine (prevalence 83.3%). The greatest mean intensity occurred in August 1996 with 66.5 (16 to 208) parasites. Histopathological analysis showed complete desquamation of the intestinal epithelium with severe hyperplasia and hypertrofia of the goblet cells. Severe inflammatory reaction at the submucosa, displacement of their sheaf, associated with oedema and mononuclear and eosinophilic infiltration were observed.