Microplastic Interaction in the Parasite Infection of Commercial Marine Puffer Fishes (Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae) of the Campeche Coast, Mexico.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Microplastics (MPs) serve as carriers of toxic compounds, which affects the resistance and susceptibility of fish to acquiring high parasitic infections and diseases. Moreover, the additive effect of MPs and parasites may cause a greater impact on host immunity and health. Despite the importance of the interaction between MPs and parasitic infections in aquatic organisms, these studies are scarce. METHOD: We collected a total of 69 L. laevigatus and 21 S. spengleri from Seybaplaya, Campeche, M&#xe9;xico, and 20 &#xb5;l of blood was obtained from each fish for their blood differential. The parasites recovered from each fish were fixed and identified, and the infection parameters were calculated. MPs were identified and classified, then were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and OMNIC software. The data set was analyzed by generalized additive models of location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS). RESULTS: Through generalized additive model analysis, we observed a quantitative effect on parasite infection in wild puffer fish associated with MPs, with alteration in the different hematological line cells (ED 78%, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We observed significant interaction among the infection levels, the differential blood cells, and MPs. That had a scalar impact of different magnitudes on both fish and human health. Therefore, it is important to understand the impact of MPs on parasitic infections of species considered an economically important resource, such as L. laevigatus and S. spengleri of the Campeche Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.