The value of the classical blood variables (erythrocyie count, hemoglobin, hematocrit) and their derivatives (mean erythrocytic volume, mean erythrocytic hemoglobin, mean erythrocytic hemoglobin content) as indicators of fish health is assessed from the viewpoints of measurement precision and the distortion of information content by sampling procedures and storage conditions. So also is the concept of hematological norms and their validity in relation to natural fish populations. Few of the assumptions underlying the use of hematological data for health assessment purposes can be regarded as other than marginally valid. Of the primary indices, erythrocyte numbers and hemoglobin, if corrected for nonviable cells and accompanied by information on isomorph abundances, appear to be the more useful indicators of 03 carrying capacity. Hematocrit and hemaiocrit-dependent Wintrobe indices emerge as suspect. Higher-order indices describing red cell anisocytosis and yielding an "erythron profile" provide additional and more sensitive means for assessing blood status.
The effects of handling and anesthetization with tricaine methanesulphonate (Ayerst "Finquel") upon brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) have been investigated with reference to selected hematological and cardioventilatory parameters, and several aspects of body fluid chemistry. Alterations in hemoglobin, hematocrit, and total dissolved solids suggest that exposure to the anesthetic prompts a rapid hemoconcentration. Water content increases, and the plasma, tissue, and estimated cellular levels of several of the major electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) are altered. Observations upon cardiac activity, dorsal aortic pressure, and ventilatory rate and amplitude support the hypothesis that Finquel exerts a depressive influence upon central autonomic functions. Handling alone leads to significant changes in plasma glucose and lactate levels, and in the concentrations and distributions of a number of the electrolytes investigated.
The effects of two methods of specimen immobilization (MS 222 anaesthesia and stunning), two types of anticoagulant (EDTA and heparin), two storage temperature ranges (0-2" C and 22.-25" C) and four sample storage periods (0, 1, 3, and 24 h) on the haemoglobin, haematocrit, plasma and packed cell sodium, potassium and chloride ion concentrations and packed cell ATP levels of rainbow trout were examined. Stored samples exhibited increases in cell volume, net transfer of sodium and chloride from plasma into cells, net loss ofpotassium to plasma and rapid depletion of ATP. Room temperature conditions and prolonged storage exacerbated these changes. Use of EDTA, particularly in combination with MS 222, frequently led to haemolysis. Least change in most variables was observed in samples drawn from stunned specimens, treated with heparin and refrigerated before use or preparation for deep cold storage.
Modifications in blood and tissue chemistry of brook trout have been followed during their recovery from handling, tricaine methanesulphonate (Ayerst "Finquel") anesthesia, and experimental preparation. The recovery process was characterized by alterations in the hematological characteristics of the animals, a marked and persistent condition of hyperglycemia, and changes in plasma, tissue and estimated cellular ion concentrations, and equilibrium potentials. Water content remained relatively stable, although variations in distribution took place. The short-term changes observed appeared to be correlated in time with the clearance of anesthetic from the animals, and possibly with a sequence of cardioventilatory-renal reflex responses induced by vascular hypoxia (or hypercapnia). More presistent changes are believed to be related to generalized endocrine responses to the traumatic character of the procedures employed.
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