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Geology topics

William T. Yasutake

Publications and source records attributed to William T. Yasutake.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Virus diseases of the salmonidae in the western United States. III. Immunopathological aspects

The immune response among fish, from a phylogenetic standpoint, presents a progressive pattern of increasing development. The cyclostomes have been shown to have only feeble immunologic responsiveness. One of their number, the hagfish, appeared to be totally lacking in the ability to actively acquire antibodies. Among the elasmobranchs, the sharks have received the most study immunologically. This group demonstrated a variable response to antigenic stimulation Of the teleosts, the salmonids and the cyprinids have been the more frequent recipients of experimentally introduced antigens. These fishes, as well as other species of teleosts, are quite active and quite consistent in their response to various antigens.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Some aspects of pathogenesis of infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN)

The histopathogenesis of infectious haematopoietic necrosis (IHN) virus infection was studied by exposing juvenile sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) to the IHN virus. Fish samples were taken every 24 h for histological examination and for determination of virus concentration. A close correlation was found between histopathological changes and virus concentration. The most significant changes occurred 4 days after exposure. The haematopocitic tissue of the kidney was the most extensively involved but minor degenerative changes were seen in the liver, pancreas, and in the granular cells of the digestive tract. On the 4th day, maximum tissue concentration of virus was reached and the mortality increased. By the 5th day, 90% of the samples showed extensive pathological changes in the kidney, together with variable changes in spleen, liver, pancreas, and gut. Similarities in the histopathogenesis of IHN, Oregon sockeye disease (OSD), Sacramento River chinook disease (SRCD) and viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS), are discussed.

Journal of Fish Biology

Epizootiology and histopathology of Parvicapsula sp. in coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch

The epizootiology and histopathology of the myxosporean Parvicapsula sp. was studied during monthly health surveys of 4 groups of coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch at a commercial farm in Puget Sound, Washington, USA, from 1984 to 1986. No Parvicapsula sp. was detected in histological samples taken from juvenile fish in fresh water, but the parasite was detected in fish from all groups 2 to 8 mo after transfer to seawater net pens. Groups placed in seawater net pens in November and December had a higher prevalence of infection, and a longer period of continuous detected infection, than those introduced into net pens in May. For the groups transferred to seawater in November and December, the highest infection prevalence (45 to 90%) was detected during the following March and April. Among 13 tissues examined histologically, only the pseudobranch and kidney were positive for Parvicapsula sp., with 26 (62%) of 42 positive fish showing infections only in the pseudobranch, 5 (12%) showing infections only in the kidney, and 11 (26%) showing infections in both organs. Both the pseudobranch and kidney were apparent primary infection sites, but pseudobranch infections appeared to persist longer in a population. Pseudobranch infections were frequently heavy and associated with extensive inflammation and necrosis of filament and lamellar tissues. The kidney had been the only infection site reported for Parvicapsula sp. in previous studies of coho salmon.

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

Histopathology of yearling sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) infected with infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN)

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) is generally believed to be a virus disease of very young salmonids. In recent years there have been increasing numbers of unpublished reports that this disease has been occurring uncharacteristically in fish as old as 7-14 months. Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) of this age the histological changes were not severe. Intestinal tract granular cells thought to be pathognomic in young fish were conspicuously absent. Kidney imprints showed necrobiotic bodies however, and subtle changes were observed in the spleen and kidney hematopoietic tissue.

Fish Pathology

Clinical methods for the assessment of the effects of environmental stress on fish health

Clinical methods are presented for biological monitoring of hatchery and native fish populations to assess the effects of environmental stress on fish health. The choice of methods is based on the experience of the authors and the judgment of colleagues at fishery laboratories of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Detailed analysis methods, together with guidelines for sample collection and for the interpretation of results, are given for tests on blood (cell counts, chloride, cholesterol, clotting time, cortisol, glucose, hematocrit, hemoglobin, lactic acid, methemoglobin, osmolality, and total protein); water (ammonia and nitrite content); and liver and muscle (glycogen content).

Technical Paper

Open-jaw syndrome in chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) at a hatchery

Nearly 0.5% of the yearling spring chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) at a national fish hatchery were observed with mouth agape, the condition occurring in two of 16 ponds. X-radiographs and histological preparations indicated that the articular bone of the lower jaw was malformed and dislocated dorsal and posterior to its normal point of attachment. The bone appeared to be embedded in the mandibular muscle and surrounded by an extensive fibrous tissue network. Genetic aberration, environmental interaction, and teratogenic substances are discussed as possible causes of the anomaly.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada

Some factors influencing susceptibility of rainbow trout to the acute toxicity of an ethyl mercury phosphate formulation (Timsan)

This study determined the influence of water temperature (55–68° F), dissolved oxygen (4–12 ppm), water hardness as CaCO 3 (20–256 ppm), and chloride ions (to 2 mM) on the susceptibility of rainbow trout ( Salmo gairdneri ) to the acute toxicity of ethyl mercury phosphate (EMP). The fish were exposed for one hour to 0.125 ppm EMP, the active ingredient of Timsan, a commercial EMP formulation. The death rate because of the exposure to EMP increased with an increase in water temperature, a decrease in dissolved oxygen, and an increase in chloride ions; calcium appeared to have no effect. The effect of water temperature and dissolved oxygen was ascribed to changes in the respiration rate of the fish, and a chemical explanation is presented for the effect of chloride ions.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society

A hematopoietic virus disease of rainbow trout and sockeye salmon

A previously undescribed virus disease epizootic of hatchery rainbow trout ( Salmo gairdneri ) in British Columbia, Canada is presented. In the same locality, a similar virus disease was experienced among hatchery sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ). Typical symptoms included flashing, fecal casts, hemorrhagic areas at the base of fins, and petechial hemorrhages on the visceral fat and membranes in the abdominal cavity. Histopathologic changes were typified by extensive degeneration and necrosis in the hematopoietic tissues of the kidney and spleen. A virus was isolated from both species of fish on tissue culture and the viruses showed cross-infectivity. Based upon the pathological changes in the hematopoietic tissue and the demonstration of a vital infection, a tentative descriptive name was designated Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis. The isolated viruses were distinctly different from the infectious pancreatic necrosis or viral hemorrhagic septicemia viruses of trout, but did show similarities to the Oregon sockeye and Sacramento River chinook viruses. Positive identification awaits further tests. The significance of these observations is the reporting of a new viral disease of rainbow trout and the extension of the geographic range of sockeye salmon viruses.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society