Comparative characteristics of the lipid status of gills of juvenile Atlantic salmon infected with glochidia of the freshwater pearl mussel living in rivers of the European North

Abstract

A comparative study of the lipid status of gills of juvenile Atlantic salmon infested with glochidia of the freshwater pearl mussel inhabiting the Vuokinyoki (White Sea basin) and Syuskyuyanyoki (basin of Lake Ladoga) rivers in the fall is carried out. The most infested gills of juvenile salmon and the lower water temperature (1.3°C) in the Vuokinyoki River reveal higher cholesterol levels and cholesterol/phospholipids ratios, which are due to the influence of infection factors; thereby they slow down biochemical processes. It is noted that variations in the lipid composition in juvenile salmon the gills of which are infected with glochidia reflect the development of adaptive responses that maintain homeostasis of juveniles under invasion.