Quantitative Scoring of Gill Pathology of Walleyes Exposed to Hydrogen Peroxide

Abstract

Abstract Hydrogen peroxide is currently being evaluated as a potential chemotherapeutant for a variety of external disease organisms of fish. Research in our laboratory has focused on delineating effective hydrogen peroxide dosing regimes for treating bacterial gill disease in walleyes Stizostedion vitreum. Results from target animal safety studies indicate that walleyes are particularly sensitive to hydrogen peroxide. Acute toxicity is evident from histopathologic inspection of gills (which show extensive epithelial lifting and necrosis) of fish treated with high doses of hydrogen peroxide. A digitized scoring method was used to quantify the severity of the gill lesions in juvenile walleyes exposed to hydrogen peroxide.