Neurotoxic pesticides change respiratory parameters in early gill-breathing, but not in skin-breathing life-stages of zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Neurotoxic compounds can interfere with active gill ventilation in fish, which might lead to premature death in adult fish, but not in skin-breathing embryos of zebrafish, since these exclusively rely on passive diffusion across the skin. Regarding lethality, this respiratory failure syndrome (RFS) has been discussed as one of the main reasons for the higher sensitivity of adult fish in the acute fish toxicity test (AFT), if compared to embryos in the fish embryo toxicity test (FET). To further elucidate the relationship between the onset of gill respiration and death by a neurotoxic mode of action, a comparative study into oxygen consumption (MO), breathing frequency (f) and amplitude (f) was performed with 4 d old skin-breathing and 12 d old early gill-breathing zebrafish.

A novel automated method for the simultaneous detection of breathing frequency and amplitude in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos and larvae.

Stress responses of fish to disruption of oxygen homeostasis include adjusted oxygen consumption rate (MO) as well as the hyperventilation consisting of changes in breathing frequency (f) and amplitude (f). However, studying the HVR in very small organisms such as zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos and larvae is challenging, and breathing movements (i.e.