Temporal and spatial patterns in tumour prevalence in brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus (Lesueur) in the tidal Potomac River watershed (USA)

Abstract

For two decades, fish tumour surveys have been used to monitor habitat quality in the Chesapeake Bay (USA) watershed. Tributaries with sediments contaminated with polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), known to cause liver neoplasia, were frequently targeted. Here, we compare surveys in brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus conducted in 2009-2011 in the tidal Potomac River watershed (including the Anacostia River) with previous surveys. Using logistic regression, we identified length and sex as covariates for liver and skin tumours. We reported a statistically significant decrease in liver tumour probabilities for standardized 280 mm Anacostia bullheads between the 1996 and 2001 samplings (merged collections: female-77.5%, male-43.0%) and 2009-2011 (female-42.2%, male-13.6%). However, liver tumour prevalence in bullheads from the Anacostia, Potomac River (Washington, DC) and Piscataway Creek (17 km downriver) was significantly higher than that for Chesapeake Bay watershed reference locations. The causes of skin tumours in bullheads are uncertain, requiring further research. The similar liver tumour prevalence in these three locations suggests that the problem is regional rather than restricted to the Anacostia. To monitor habitat quality and the success of pollution control actions, we recommend conducting tumour surveys on a 5-year cycle coordinated with sediment chemistry analyses.

Oral neoplasms in pickhandle barracuda Sphyraena jello from India

“…In the present study, we observed a higher incidence among females than among males. Previous studies have also reported higher tumour prevalence in females than in males (Martineau et al 1990, Keller et al 2011, Pinkney et al 2014, although some studies reported a higher incidence in male than in female fish (Bowser et al 1988, Okihiro 1988, Kortet et al 2003, Korkea-aho et al 2006.…”

Bioenergetics of Brown Bullhead in a Changing Climate

“…A recent study by Leadley et al (2015) showed Brown Bullheads from contaminated sites in the Detroit River, Michigan-Ontario, had elevated standard metabolic rates related to the environment. Many sites around the Great Lakes, particularly rivers and harbors, still contain high levels of PAHs and other contaminants (Pinkney et al 2004(Pinkney et al , 2014Blazer et al 2009). Despite finding higher standard metabolic rates (SMR) in Brown Bullheads from contaminated sites in the Leadley et al (2015) study, it is unclear how the total metabolic 642 HARTMAN rate (SMR plus active metabolic rate) in contaminated environments compares with that in uncontaminated ones.…”

Investigation of epizootic papillomatosis in bluegill Lepomis macrochirus (Rafinesque 1810) using next‐generation sequencing

“…; Groff ; Pinkney et al . ). Some virally induced neoplasms in fish occur seasonally (Getchell, Casey & Bowser ).…”

“…Most are benign epidermal hyperplasias and papillomas, with rare squamous cell carcinomas (Groff ; Roberts ). In the brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus (Lesueur), evidence suggests a possible chemical aetiology (Grizzle, Melius & Strength ; Pinkney, Harshbarger & Rutter ), while virus or virus‐like particles have been demonstrated in other species (Coffee, Casey & Bowser ). Some sources relate tumour development to potential interactions between environmental contaminants and viruses (Smith, Ferguson & Hayes ).…”

“…While molecular findings largely rule out a viral aetiology, a cause for the neoplasms in these two isolated bluegill populations remains undetermined, as is the case for many epizootics of orocutaneous neoplasia in fish. In addition to viruses, environmental contaminants and the cumulative effects of trauma have been advanced as possibly associated, potentially multifactorial, influences on tumour development (Smith et al 1989;Groff 2004;Pinkney et al 2014). Some virally induced neoplasms in fish occur seasonally (Getchell, Casey & Bowser 1998).…”