Cataracts in Fish – Gross Pathology and Histopathology

We have recently seen a high incidence of cataracts in farmed salmon in several European countries, Canada, and Chile. Salmonids depend on vision for normal feed intake and, not surprisingly, cataracts have been shown to reduce feed conversion efficiency and growth rates, which ultimately raise the cost of rearing fish. Consequently, cataracts can have a significant economic impact on salmonid aquaculture. It is important to note at the outset that “cataracts” is a clinical definition, and their presence does not necessarily mean that changes can...

Gas Bubble Disease

Figure 1. Rainbow trout with several gas bubbles in the anterior chamber. Note the haemorrhage both dorsally and ventrally, the latter “coning” through the ventral iris pore

Gas bubble disease (GBD) is the fish equivalent of the “bends” in human scuba divers. It is the result of gas coming out of solution in the bloodstream, thereby leading to the formation of emboli, especially in smaller blood vessels, including rete. Thus, lesions are common in gills, and the choroid gland of the eye. In water that is supersaturated, fish equilibriate with that supersaturated gas, just as human scuba divers equilibriate with gas at high pressures. It is not known precisely what prompts the...

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