The interaction between temperature and dose on the efficacy and biochemical response of Atlantic salmon to hydrogen peroxide treatment for amoebic gill disease

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a commonly used treatment for a range of parasitic diseases of marine finfish, including amoebic gill disease (AGD). While this treatment is partially effective at reducing parasite load, H2O2 can have detrimental effects on the host under certain conditions. Treatment temperature and dose concentration are two factors that are known to influence the toxicity of H2O2; however, their impact on the outcome of AGD treatment remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of treatment temperature (8, 12 or 16 degrees C) and dose concentration (750, 1,000, 1,250 mg/L) on the efficacy of H2O2 to treat AGD. We demonstrated that a 20-min bath treatment of H2O2 at all doses reduced both parasite load and gross gill score significantly. Parasite load and gross gill score were lowest in the 1,000 mg/L treatment performed at 12 degrees C. At the high dose and temperature combinations, H2O2 caused moderate gill damage and a significant increase in the plasma concentration of electrolytes (sodium, chloride and potassium). Taken together, our study demonstrates that higher H2O2 treatment temperatures can adversely affect the host and do not improve the effectiveness of the treatment.