Use of neem oil (Azadirachta indica) to control caligid copepod infestation on Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer)

• Published in: Aquaculture research Vol. 50; no. 7; pp. 1885 - 1892
• Main Authors: Khoa, Tran Nguyen Duy, Mazelan, Suhairi, Muda, Sabri, Shaharom‐Harrison, Faizah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Hindawi Limited 01-07-2019
• Subjects: acute toxic test; Aquatic crustaceans; Azadirachta indica; Biocompatibility; Biomedical materials; Body weight; Cages; Caligid infestation; Caligus; Culture; Fish; Fish parasites; Floating cages; In vivo methods and tests; Infections; Infestation; Lates calcarifer; Lethal limits; marine cage culture; Marine fishes; Mortality causes; Neem; Neem oil; Oil; parasite; Parasites; Pathogens; Plankton; Toxicity tests; Vegetable oils
• ISSN: 1355-557X; 1365-2109
• DOI: 10.1111/are.14074

Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) culture in marine cages have been developed rapidly in Malaysia. The high intensity of culture might facilitate several disease infection including caligid infestation. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of neem oil (Azadirachta indica) against caligid parasites on seabass. The prevalence and clinical pathogen of Caligus infection has been described through a sampling of 150 fish from floating cage at different cultured periods. Acute toxic tests with different concentrations of neem oil were carried out on the parasite and fish host. Results revealed that the 96‐hr median lethal concentration (LC50) of Caligus and fish (10.3 ± 2.5 g of body weight) were 2 and 20 ppm respectively. The in vivo test indicated that 10 ppm of neem oil could result in 100% antiparasitic efficacy within 96 hr. These results therapeutically demonstrated the efficacy of neem oil in caligid control.