Diet Quality in Fish Toxicology: Effects on Acute and Chronic Toxicity

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Abstract
The importance of diet quality in toxicological research with fish was illustrated in several studies. The acute toxicity of chlordane to rainbow trout was dependent upon the type of diet fed before toxicity testing. Rainbow trout were fed four commercial diets or a low (23 percent) or high protein (45 percent) synthetic diet. After 42 days, the trout were tested against chlordane in static toxicity tests. The 96-h median lethal concentration (LC50) for the synthetic 45 percent protein group was statistically higher (P = 0.05) than values for all other groups. Also, differences in LC50S existed among groups fed commercial diets. In flow-through toxicity studies, rainbow trout, bluegill, and channel catfish fed a diet containing casein and gelatin as a protein source had a greater tolerance to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) than those fed a diet with fish meal and soybean meal as the primary protein sources. By increasing the concentration of the amino acid methionine in the diet of rainbow trout, the toxicity of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) increased while dieldrin toxicity decreased. In studies with channel catfish, the concentration of vitamin C in the diet influenced the chronic effects of toxaphene on growth and skeletal development. These studies illustrate that the type of diet fed before acute toxicity testing and during chronic toxicity testing is important, and that consideration for nutritious standard diets in toxicological research with fish is needed.