Beyond symbiosis: cleaner shrimp clean up in culture

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 10; no. 2; p. e0117723
• Main Authors: Militz, Thane A, Hutson, Kate S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 23.02.2015; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Animals; Aquaculture; Aquaculture - methods; Biological control; Cleaning; Crustacea - parasitology; Disease control; Diurnal; Ecosystem; Ecosystems; Ectoparasites; Eggs; Environmental science; Fish; Fish eggs; Fisheries; Fishing; Host-Parasite Interactions; Infections; Larva - physiology; Larvae; Lysmata amboinensis; Monogenea; Neobenedenia; Nocturnal; Organisms; Ornamental fish; Ovum - physiology; Parasites; Parasites - physiology; Parasitic diseases; Perciformes - parasitology; Perciformes - physiology; Pigmentation; Platyhelminths - physiology; Prophylaxis; Pseudanthias squamipinnis; Salmonidae; Skin Pigmentation - physiology; Symbiosis; Time Factors; Queensland Australia; Australia
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117723

Cleaner organisms exhibit a remarkable natural behaviour where they consume ectoparasites attached to "client" organisms. While this behaviour can be utilized as a natural method of parasitic disease control (or biocontrol), it is not known whether cleaner organisms can also limit reinfection from parasite eggs and larvae within the environment. Here we show that cleaner shrimp, Lysmata amboinensis, consume eggs and larvae of a harmful monogenean parasite, Neobenedenia sp., in aquaculture. Shrimp consumed parasite eggs under diurnal (63%) and nocturnal (14%) conditions as well as infectious larvae (oncomiracidia) diurnally (26%). Furthermore, we trialled the inclusion of cleaner shrimp for preventative parasite management of ornamental fish, Pseudanthias squamipinnis, and found shrimp reduced oncomiracidia infection success of host fish by half compared to controls (held without shrimp). Fish held without cleaner shrimp exhibited pigmentation changes as a result of infection, possibly indicative of a stress response. These results provide the first empirical evidence that cleaner organisms reduce parasite loads in the environment through non-symbiotic cleaning activities. Our research findings have relevance to aquaculture and the marine ornamental trade, where cleaner shrimp could be applied for prophylaxis and control of ectoparasite infections.