Models suggest pathogen risks to wild fish can be mitigated by acquired immunity in freshwater aquaculture systems

The interaction of pathogens between wild and farmed aquatic animal populations is a concern that remains unclear and controversial. Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, a ciliated protozoan parasite, is a pathogen of freshwater finfish species with geographic and host range that causes significant economic losses in aquaculture. Flow-through farming systems may facilitate the transfer of such a parasite with free-living stages between farmed and wild stocks. Here, experimental and field study infection data are used to describe the infection dynamics of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis in rainbow trout using a simple macroparasite model by including host resistance. The study considered flow-through farming systems with a single or two age-class compartments and simulated the transfer of the parasite between farmed and wild fish populations. Results suggest that aquaculture can promote the prevalence of the resistance in wild stocks by increasing the parasite population in the wild environment. At the same time, acquired resistance in the farmed fish population may protect the wild fish population from lethal effects of the parasite by reducing the total parasite population. This study offers a promising mathematical basis for understanding the effects of freshwater aquaculture in disease spread in wildlife, developing risk assessment modeling, and exploring new ways of aquaculture management.