Keywords
aquaculture
pesticide residues
pollution
pyrethroid insecticides
tefluthrin
How to Cite
Abstract
We present the first documented case of mass mortality in farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) linked to tefluthrin contamination in a freshwater stream. In June 2013, a twelve-day pollution event occurred in the Rogačica River, Republic of Serbia, resulting in the death of approximately 160,000 trout fingerlings and yearlings, with a total biomass of 4,190 kg. Water samples were analyzed for pesticide residues using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with an Agilent 1260 Infinity LC system (Agilent Technologies, USA) coupled to a 6460 Triple Quad LC/MS mass spectrometer. Water analysis revealed tefluthrin concentrations of 2.04 and 0.52 μg/L, representing 9- to 34-fold exceedances of the reported 96 h LC50 for rainbow trout (0.06 μg/L). The contamination originated from washing pesticide-coated corn seed in a local distillery, representing a previously undocumented source of aquatic pesticide pollution. This case highlights the vulnerability of aquaculture to agricultural pesticides, the particular sensitivity of early life stages of salmonids to pyrethroids, and the need for improved regulatory and biosecurity measures to prevent similar events.
References
Besser, J.M., Dorman, R., Ivey, C.D., Cleveland, D., Steevens, J.A. 2020. Sensitivity of warm-water fishes and rainbow trout to selected contaminants. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 104, 3, 321-326. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-020-02788-y
Burch, E., Hussein, M.A., Zaki, M., Kamal, L.T., Zaki, G., Shoeib, T., Dawood, M., Sewilam, H., Abdelnaser, A. 2025. Assessing the Effects of Pesticides on Aquacultured Fish and Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Environmental Health Review. Fishes, 10, 5, 223. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10050223
Carvalho, F.P. 2017. Pesticides, environment and food safety. Food and Energy Security, 6, 2, 48–60. https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.108
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). 2010. Conclusion on the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance tefluthrin. EFSA Journal, 8, 12, 1709.
European Commission. 2017. SANTE/11813/2017: Guidance document on analytical quality control and method validation procedures for pesticide residues analysis in food and feed. Available at: https://www.eurl-pesticides.eu/userfiles/file/eurlall/sante_11813_2017-fin.pdf Accessed: 02.05.2025.
Farag, M.R., Alagawany, M., Bilal, R.M., Gewida, A.G., Dhama, K., Abdel-Latif, H.M., Amer, M.S., Rivero-Perez, N., Zaragoza-Bastida, A., Binnaser, Y.S., Batiha, G.E., Naiel, M.A.E. 2021. An overview on the potential hazards of pyrethroid insecticides in fish, with special emphasis on cypermethrin toxicity. Animals, 11, 7, 1880. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11071880
Hardaker, B. 2016. Comment 2 on ‘Risk and uncertainty’ by Quiggin and Anderson. Australian Journal of Agricultural Resources Economy, 60, 552–553. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8489.12184
Hartz, K.E.H., Nutile, S.A., Fung, C.Y., Sinche, F.L., Moran, P.W., Van Metre, P.C., Nowell, L.H., Lydy, M.J. 2019. Survey of bioaccessible pyrethroid insecticides and sediment toxicity in urban streams of the northeast United States. Environmental Pollution, 254, 112931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2019.07.099
Haya, K. 1989. Toxicity of pyrethroid insecticides to fish. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 8, 5, 381-391. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620080504
Knight, F.H. 1921. Risk, uncertainty and profit. Vol. 31. Houghton Mifflin.
Méjanelle, L., Jara, B., Dachs, J. 2020. Fate of pyrethroids in freshwater and marine environments. In Pyrethroid insecticides, The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, Eds. E. Eljarrat, Springer International Publishing, Cham, 81-107. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2019_433
Richterova, Z., Svobodova, Z. 2012. Pyrethroids influence on fish. Slovak Veterinary Research, 49, 2, 63–72.
Soderlund, D.M., Clark, J.M., Sheets, L.P., Mullin, L.S., Piccirillo, V.J., Sargent, D., Stevens, J.T., Weiner, M.L. 2002. Mechanisms of pyrethroid neurotoxicity: implications for cumulative risk assessment. Toxicology, 171, 1, 3-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0300-483x(01)00569-8
Stilwell, J. M., Perry, S. M., Petrie-Hanson, L., Sheffler, R., Buchweitz, J. P., & Delaune, A. J. 2024. Pyrethroid-associated nephrotoxicity in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, and blue catfish, I. furcatus, at a public aquarium. Veterinary Pathology, 61(4), 633-640. https://doi.org/10.1177/03009858231222226
Ullah, S., Li, Z., Zuberi, A., Arifeen, M.Z.U., Baig, M.M.F.A. 2019. Biomarkers of pyrethroid toxicity in fish. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 17, 2, 945-973. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-018-00852-y
Varela, W.L., Mundahl, N.D., Bergen, S., Staples, D.F., Cochran-Biederman, J., Weaver, C.R. 2023. Physical and Biological Stream Health in an Agricultural Watershed after 30+ Years of Targeted Conservation Practices. Water, 15, 19, 3475. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15193475
Velisek, J., Wlasow, T., Gomulka, P., Svobodova, Z., Dobsikova, R., Novotny, L., & Dudzik, M. 2006. Effects of cypermethrin on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). VETERINARNI MEDICINA-PRAHA, 51(10), 469.https://doi.org/10.17221/5580-VETMED
Wang H, Xu W, Li L. Tefluthrin induced toxicities in zebrafish: Focusing on enantioselectivity. 2023. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology. 195:105572. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2023.105572
Werner, I., Moran, K. 2008. Effects of pyrethroid insecticides on aquatic organisms. ACS Symposium Series, 991, 310-335. https://doi.org/10.1021/bk-2008-0991.ch014
Weston, D.P., Lydy, M.J. 2010. Urban and agricultural sources of pyrethroid insecticides to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California. Environmental Science & Technology, 44, 5, 1833-1840. https://doi.org/10.1021/es9035573
Wu Y, Zhu Y, Cheng A, Yao W, Wang B, Zheng R, Wang J. Effects of tefluthrin exposure on early life stages in zebrafish: Insights into cardiac and skeletal development, oxidative stress and apoptosis. 2025. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety,292,1,117931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.117931
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Archives of Veterinary Medicine