• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.67-73
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• 2009

It was examined whether the common belief that "cultured puffer fishes do not contain tetrodotoxin (TTX)", the major lethal substance that accidently causes death in consumers of those fishes, is true in river puffer fish Takifugu obscurus. In mouse bioassay, lethal levels of toxins were detected in the ranks: gonad>liver>intestine>muscle>skin in wild puffer fish. In contrast, no mortality occurred in the mouse bioassay on cultured fish. However, there were sleepiness, sluggish behavior, and hind limb paralysis with the tissue extracts of cultured fish suggesting the presence of TTX or other similarly acting toxins. An attempt to confirm the presence of TTX in cultured fish with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was not very successful. The results suggest possible existence of TTX toxins or similarly acting toxins.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.251-258
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• 2011

To investigate whether the rearing environmental factors (size heterogeneity, rearing density, and feeding frequency) affect the growth and cannibalism of fry in cultured puffer Takifugu obscurus, we conducted three experiments. To examine size effects, we used small (total length [TL] $26.0{\pm}0.5\;mm$, body weight [BW] $0.18{\pm}0.01\;g$), medium (TL $23.1{\pm}0.1\;mm$, BW $0.28{\pm}0.01\;g$), large (TL $26.0{\pm}0.2\;mm$, BW $0.48{\pm}0.01\;g$) and small-large size combination groups. For density, we used size-matched puffers (TL $25.0{\pm}0.5\;mm$, BW $0.53{\pm}0.03\;g$) and five density were examined ranging from 1.43 to 7.14 individuals/L. For the feeding frequency, we also used size-matched fry and feeding frequencies of three times/2 days, one time/day, two times/day, three times/day. We ran each experiment in triplicate and investigated the survival rate, daily food intake (DFI), feed efficiency (FE), and daily growth rate (DGR). The growth of the puffers increased with increasing size, density, and feeding frequency, while cannibalism increased with a greater size gap, density and lower feeding frequency. Therefore, we concluded that size, rearing density, and feeding frequency are major factors influencing growth and cannibalism of the puffer, T. obscurus.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.17.1-17.8
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• 2017

Somatostatin (SS) and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) are primary factors regulating growth hormone (GH) secretion in the pituitary. To date, it remains unknown how this rhythm is controlled endogenously, although there must be coordination of circadian manners. Melatonin was the main regulator in biological rhythms, and its secretion has fluctuation by photic information. But relationship between melatonin and growth-related genes (ghrh and ss) is unclear. We investigated circadian rhythms of melatonin secretion, ghrh and ss expressions, and correlation between melatonin with growth-related genes in tiger puffer Takifugu rubripes. The melatonin secretion showed nocturnal rhythms under light and dark (LD) conditions. In constant light (LL) condition, melatonin secretion has similar patterns with LD conditions. ss1 mRNA was high during scotophase under LD conditions. But ss1 rhythms disappeared in LL conditions. Ghrh appeared opposite expression compared with melatonin levels or ss1 expression under LD and LL. In the results of the melatonin injection, ghrh and ss1 showed no significant expression compared with control groups. These results suggested that melatonin and growth-related genes have daily or circadian rhythms in the tiger puffer. Further, we need to know mechanisms of each ss and ghrh gene regulation.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.147-153
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• 2007

The present study was performed to evaluate sitological quality of the cultured and wild river puffer, Takifugu obscurus. Proximate composition, the content of extractive nitrogen, the content of nucleotides and their related compounds, total and free amino acid, and fatty acids were analysed and sensory evaluation in the muscle of the river puffer were compared. The cultured river puffer had a higher moisture content compared to the wild fish, while there was no significant difference in crude lipid, crude protein and ash contents. Nucleotides and their related compounds including ATP, ADP, AMP, IMP, HxR and Hx were detected. The result from analyzing ATP-related compound showed difference in total content by wild and cultured river puffer, and IMP content that had largest influence upon the savory taste of sliced raw fish, was higher in the cultured fishes than wild ones. Breaking strength level of the wild river puffer was higher than that of the cultured fish. High levels of C16:0 and C18:0 were shown in all samples and -3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content were not different between the cultured and wild river puffers (P>0.05). Total 17 amino acids were detected in the samples, and most of the samples had high contents of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, lysine and leucine and low contents of cystine, histidine, methionine and tyrosine. The result from surveying free amino acid content of wild and cultured river puffer showed difference in content, but generally taurine and lysine content for the whole free amino acid held the most part. There was no significant difference in texture, flavor and overall acceptance score between the cultured and wild fishes (P>0.05).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.267-273
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• 2010

The objective of this study was about physicochemical characteristic of puffer muscle and skin to promote the utilization of puffer as fish protein. In proximate composition, crude protein of dried puffer muscle and skin powders were 89.5% and 82.7%, respectively. Skin powders had higher lipid contents than muscle powders. Ash contents of muscle powders were higher than those of skin powders. In nucleotides and their related compounds, the contents of nucleotides were in order of IMP and ADP. The contents of saturated fatty acid in puffer muscle (83.9%) was higher than skin powders (66.3%). Oleic acid, mono-unsaturated fatty acid, in skin powder (25.9%) was higher than in muscle powders. Seventeen kinds of composition amino acids were detected in muscle powders, while 16 kinds of amino acids were found in skin powders. Total contents of amino acid in muscle powders (83,739 mg/100 g) were higher than those of skin powders (75,361 mg/100 g). In the muscle powders of puffer, glutamic acid was the highest amino acid with the concentration of 13,707 mg/100 g, and was in order of aspartic acid, lysine, leucine, arginine, alanine, valine and glycine. In skin powders, glutamic acid was the highest content with 14,843 mg/100 g followed by proline, alanine and arginine. Twenty five kinds of free amino acids were detected in dried muscle powders, while 22 kinds of free amino acids were found in dried skin powders. Taurine of dried puffer muscle and skin powders was the highest free amino acid with the concentration of 554.4 mg/100 g and 153.6 mg/100 g, respectively. The contents of total free amino acids of dried muscle powders were higher than those of dried skin powders. Especially, cysteine was only detected in dried muscle with the content of $159.3\pm1.8$ mg/100 g.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to determine the physiological response and the applicable concentration ranges of anesthetic clove oil and anesthetic lidocaine-HCl, and to investigate the synergistic effect of a mixture of these two anesthetics on the in grass puffer (Takifugu niphobles). The anesthesia times decreased and the recovery times increased with increasing concentrations of clove oil and lidocaine-HCl. Applicable concentration ranges for long-term transportation requiring more than 1 hour were 2 ppm for clove oil and 50 ppm for lidocaine-HCl. With mixtures of the two anesthetics, the anesthesia time decreased as the admixture concentration of clove oil and lidocaine-HCl increased. Anesthesia times of experimental groups with the combined anesthetics were shorter than those with the same concentrations of clove oil or lidocaine-HCl alone. Plasma cortisol concentrations were highest at 6 hours in all experimental groups anesthetized with the mixture of clove oil and lidocaine-HCl, while all groups with clove oil or lidocaine-HCl alone had the highest plasma cortisol concentrations at 12 hours. Plasma glucose concentrations were highest at 12 hours in experimental groups anesthetized with the mixture of clove oil and lidocaine-HCl, while groups with clove oil or lidocaine-HCl alone had the highest plasma glucose at 24 hours. The results of this study provide basic information about anesthetics and the synergistic effect of mixtures of anesthetics in this fish species. This information should be useful for aquaculturists who require methods for safe and easy fish handling, and for transporters who require that minimal stress is imposed on fish during transport.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.99-108
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• 2006

Diseased tiger puffer (Takijugu rubripes) showed anorexia and severe anemia in the gills. In wet mount preparations Heterobothrium sp. with 4 sets of clamps on the opisthohaptor attached to the gill filaments of the diseased fish. From the drum-shaped filter for filtration of the culturing water and the sediment of aquarium held the diseased fish in the laboratory, their eggs forming long strings through connection of the bipolar filaments could be easily collected. The parasites with 4 pairs of clamps on the opisthohaptor were 2.38mm in length and 0.71 mm in width, but had no isthmus which was separated the opisthohapor from the body proper. The parasites could be easily distinguished from Heterobothrium tetrodonis and H. okamotoi in the absence of distinct isthmus, and resembled H. yamagutii described from the gills of Takifugu xanthopterus in Japan. Their eggs were yellowish spindle in shape and 180-200 x 5-6 Iffil in size, which were pointed at both ends. The eggs were linked to adjacent egg shells like a string of beads by the filaments. Onchomiracidia, ciliated larvae spawned from the eggs were 133 Iffil (120-146 Iffil) x 751ffil (68-80 Iffil) in size. The length of the ciliates was 12 Iffil in the anterior part of the larvae and 14 Iffil in the posterior part. Round or leaf-shaped young parasites attached on the secondary gill lamellae. There was a tendency that most of round smaller parasites without an opisthohaptor were found in the middle part of the gill lamellae while leaf-shaped larger ones with a opisthohaptor attached on the distal part of the gill filaments. Each clamp of mature parasites grasped one secondary gill filament which resulted in bending of the filaments and hyperplasia of the epithelium and mucous cells. In the branchial cavity around the pseudobranch, mature parasites grasped the adjacent ones by means of the clamps, and the epithelia of the branchial cavity around the parasites showed severe irregular hyperplasia and erosion with strongly PAS-positive mucous cells.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.99-103
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• 2005

This study investigated the distribution of scuticociliates in the intestine, spleen, kidney, testis, brain, pericondrial bone and muscle layer of the tiger puffer, Takifugu rubripes, infected with scuticociliates. Scuticociliates were infiltrated in the connective tissues of the outer layer of the intestine, spleen, kidney, testis, brain, pericondrial bone and muscle layer. In brain, membranous tissue and optic lobe cortex separation were accompanied by the infection of scuticociliates. Other internal tissues and organs did not show any lesions expect for heavy deposition of hemosiderin in spleen.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.577-583
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• 2001

The digestive enzyme activities such as $\alpha-amylase$, trypsin and pepsin from the laboratory-reared river puffer Takifugu obscurus were measured from the time course of 1 day until the 65 day after hatching. In the case of $\alpha-amylase$, it was showed minimum activity of 0.0493 U/mg at the total length (TL) 10 mm, and showed maximum activity of 0.1480 U/mg at 19 mmTL. Trypsin and pepsin were showed their maximum activities of 0.0264, 0.0258 U/mg and 0.0178, 0.0201 U/mg when the total length of 16 and 24 mm, and represented remarkable correlations between the changes of enzyme activity and growth rate. The ontogenetic variations of digestive enzymes were represented clearly different patterns; i.e, the pepsin showed higher activity when the periods of larva ($4\~5\;mmTL$) and juvenile II ($19\~24\;mmTL$), however, the trypsin represented maximum activity at the stages of juvenile I ($11\~16\;mmTL$) and young fish (27 mmTL), respectively.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.29-37
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• 2005

This study investigated external symptoms, behavior characteristics and the distribution pattern of the scuticociliates in the skin, gill and blood vessel of the tiger puffer, Takifugu rubripes, infected with scuticociliates among tiger puffer cultured. The fish infected with scuticociliates did not show any external symptoms, such as change in body color or swimming behavior, in the early infection stage. However, they showed congestion, erosion, and ulcer on the skin and fin at advanced stages. They showed a turning movement, mainly stayed on the bottom, and swam with their mouths open at the surface of water. Some fish showed a sudden swimming movement of zigzag type. The scuticociliates were ovoid in shape and $20\times40{\mu}m$ in size. The scuticociliates had a contractile vesicle and a caudal cilium that ranged 10-12 ${\mu}m$, and reproduced by binary fission. Therefore the scuticociliates were identified as ciliated, belonging to class Hymenostomatia, order Scuticociliatida in morphogenetic character. The gills infiltrated with scuticociliates showed clubbed gill filament due to hypertrophy of gill lamella. Within the blood vessels, scuticociliates were observed one to ten individuals, depending on diameter of the blood vessels. Some of the scuticociliates were observed to have ingested erythrocytes.