Etiologies, observations and reporting of estuarine finfish lesions

• Published in: Marine environmental research Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 473 - 477
• Main Authors: Kane, A.S, Dykstra, M.J, Noga, E.J, Reimschuessel, R, Baya, A, Driscoll, C, Paerl, H.W, Landsberg, J
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2000; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Atlantic Ocean; Biological and medical sciences; Brackish; Brevoortia tyrannus; Dinoflagellida; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; epizootic ulcerative syndrome; Fish Diseases - etiology; Fish Diseases - parasitology; Fish Diseases - pathology; Fish pathology; Fishes; Florida; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Granuloma - etiology; Granuloma - pathology; Granuloma - veterinary; HABs; Lesions; Marine; Marine and brackish environment; Maryland; mycotic granulomatosis; North Carolina; Pfiesteria; Pfiesteria piscicida; Pisces; red spot; Risk Factors; ulcerative mycosis; Ulcers; USA, Eastern; USA, Florida; USA, Maryland; USA, North Carolina; West Atlantic; North Carolina; Florida; Maryland; ANW, USA, Chesapeake Bay; ASW, USA, Florida, St. John's Estuary; ANW, USA, North Carolina, Pamlico Estuary; USA, Florida, St. Johns R; HABs; Fish pathology; Lesions; Ulcers; Pfiesteria; Brackish water environment; Disease; Toxicity; Algae; Estuaries; Zoopathogen; Vertebrata; Dinophyta; Etiology; Animal plant relation; Pisces; Bloom; Plant origin; Ulcer; Water pollution; Lesion; Veterinary; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0141-1136; 1879-0291
• DOI: 10.1016/S0141-1136(00)00117-3

Lesions in estuarine finfish are associated with a variety of organisms including parasites and bacterial, viral, and fungal infectious agents. In addition, trauma, suboptimal water quality, and other abiotic stress factors may result in the loss of homeostasis. We have observed solitary ulcerative lesions on menhaden sampled from the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, the Pamlico River, North Carolina, and the St. Johns River, Florida. Histologically, the lesions demonstrated a marked chronic inflammatory infiltrate and granulomas in response to fungal hyphae throughout large areas of exposed necrotic muscle. Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria were also observed in the lesions, a common finding in ulcers of aquatic organisms. Similar observations in menhaden and other species have been described previously in the literature as ulcerative mycosis, mycotic granulomatosis, red spot disease, and epizootic ulcerative syndrome. Despite the many different known causes of fish lesions, the popular press and the scientific literature have recently emphasized Pfiesteria piscicida and other Pfiesteria-like dinoflagellates (and their bioactive compounds) as the primary causative agent for finfish lesions, particularly mycotic granulomatous ulcers in Atlantic menhaden. While some laboratory data suggest that Pfiesteria may play a role in field-observed lesions, much more cause-and-effect evidence is needed to determine the importance of other risk factors, both alone or and in combination with Pfiesteria. In order to better understand the etiology of lesion initiation and progression in estuarine finfish, accurate assessments of environmental conditions collected on appropriate temporal and spatial scales, and fish morphological indicators consistent with gross and histological pathologic terminology, should be used for reporting fish lesion observations and kills. Further, this outlook will help to avoid bias and may foster a broader perspective for examining the health of estuarine systems in general.