Myopathy and steatitis in the common guppy, Poecilia (Lebistes)reticulata (Peters)

Abstract

SummaryThere was I % mortality among female guppies just imported from Southeast Asia. Moribund fish showed discoloration, lethargy and kyphosis. Microscopically, myopathy and steatitis were observed, together with an extensive ceroid storage. These findings are indicative of vitamin E deficiency, and illustrate the risk of using fish of unknown origin in toxicological studies.

PANSTEATITIS OF UNKNOWN ETIOLOGY ASSOCIATED WITH LARGE-SCALE NILE CROCODILE (CROCODYLUS NILOTICUS) MORTALITY IN KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA: PATHOLOGIC FINDINGS

“…In farmed Cuban crocodiles suffering from pansteatitis, 45 vitamin E-deficient fish, 23,56 and terrestrial mammals, 7,9,33,34,42,52 hyaline leg muscle degeneration was thought to be an additional reason for the animals' inability to move. Myocardial necrosis was present in 3 of the 11 crocodiles, and skeletal muscle necrosis was present in one of the six crocodiles where muscle was sampled (Table 1).…”

“…21,23,38,44,45 Ingestion of fish suffering from steatitis could account for the crocodile steatitis. Sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus) are a common component of Nile crocodile diets, 61 and many of the larger specimens of these fish in the Olifants River Gorge had similar steatitis.…”

“…Pansteatitis is a nutritional disorder affecting mammals, [4][5][6][7][8][9]13,14,16,22,33,34,41,42,52,57 crocodilians, 12,26,29,36,39,45,51,62 chelonians, 43 fish, 17,23,24,44,51,56 and piscivorus birds 48,53,54,60 that is characterized by inflammation and necrosis of adipose tissue and the resultant deposition of lipofuscin and ceroid pigment in fat stores, kidney, spleen, and liver. Affected fat is nodular to diffusely firm yellowbrown instead of pale glistening yellow or white.…”

Lateral muscular myopathy associated with vitamin E deficiency in farmed barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Bloch)

“…Many previous studies have shown that fish diseases showing thinning or atrophy of the body were because of myopathy of the lateral musculature, associated with vitamin E deficiency or intoxication of rancid oil in the diet (Hashimoto, Okaichi, Watanabe, Furukawa & Umezu 1966; Helder 1979; Kubota, Funahashi, Endo & Miyazaki 1980; Miyazaki & Kubota 1981a,b; Lovell, Miyazaki & Rabegnator 1984; Miyazaki 1986; Huerkamp, Ringler & Chrisp 1988; McLoughlin, Kennedy & Kennedy 1992; National Research Council 1993; Taveekijakarn, Miyazaki, Matsumoto & Aria 1996). Muscle myopathy in fish has also been associated with selenium deficiency and has been experimentally reproduced in fish fed diets that are low in or devoid of vitamin E or selenium, or on diets containing varying amounts of peroxidized fish oils (Murai & Andrews 1974; Poston, Combs & Leibovitz 1976; Smith 1979; Cowey, Degener, Tacon, Youngson & Bell 1984; Gatlin, Poe & Wilson 1986; Miyazaki 1986, 1995; Taveekijakarn et al.…”

“…Vitamin E deficiency is a well‐described disease in fish and has been reported in many species including channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque), common carp, Cyprinus carpio L., guppies, Poecilia reticulata (Peters), puffer fish, Takifugu rubripes (Temminck & Schlegel), goldfish Carassius auratus (L.), rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata (Temminck & Schlegel), seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax (L.), Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., amago salmon, Oncorhynchus rhodurus (Jordan & McGregor), and blue tilapia, Oreochromis aureus (Steindachner) (Murai & Andrews 1974; Poston et al. 1976; Watanabe, Takeuchi, Matsui, Ogino & Kawabata 1977; Endo, Miyazaki, Kubota, Oobayashi & Matumoto 1979; Helder 1979; Kubota et al. 1980; Miyazaki 1986, 1995; Huerkamp et al.…”