Fish hepatic glutathione-S-transferase activity is affected by the cestode parasites Schistocephalus solidus and Ligula intestinalis: evidence from field and laboratory studies

The activity of hepatic glutathione-S-transferase (GST) was analysed in 3 different fish species with respect to fish sex and infection with parasites. In both sexes of laboratory bred three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) experimentally infected with Schistocephalus solidus (Cestoda), a significantly lower GST-activity was found for infected fish compared to control. After field sampling of roach (Rutilus rutilus) from Lake Muggelsee (MS) and the Reservoir Listertalsperre (LTS), the GST-activity showed significantly lower values for males infected with Ligula intestinalis from MS (25%) and for infected females from LTS (55%). L. intestinalis-infected female chub (Leuciscus cephalus) from LTS also appeared to have a lower GST-activity. Thus, it could be shown that the presence of parasites significantly affects GST-activity in different fish species resulting in a decreased GST-activity due to infection. Our results therefore emphasize the need for more integrative approaches in environmental pollution research to clearly identify the possible effects of parasites in an effort to develop biomarkers for evaluating environmental health.