Fish tumors and ecological surveillance: A cautionary example from Port Phillip Bay

Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · Water Resources Bulletin; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-1688.1988.tb03012.x· OSTI ID:7024558

Hard, G C ^[1]

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1. The British Industrial Biological Research Association, Carshalton, Surrey (England)

Interest in the development of strategies using faunal populations for monitoring chemical contamination of the environment was promoted, in part, by earlier investigations of skin lesions that were mistakenly diagnosed as epidermal papillomas in flatfish from Pacific coastal waters of the northern hemisphere. A survey aimed at exploring chemical pollution effects was also undertaken in the southern hemisphere in Port Phillip Bay, Australia, where over 15,000 fish, involving ten mainly bottom-feeding species, were sampled. Only two cases of true neoplasia (both in the sand flathead) were found, but there was a high prevalence of cancer-like growths in certain species of leatherjacket and a low prevalence in spiky globe fish. Morphological analysis proved these to be subacute inflammatory or chronic granulomatous reactions possibly due to parasitic infestation. These findings were discussed in relation to recent work that shows the epidermal papilloma to be a pseudotumor, and the propensity for fish to develop exuberant inflammatory responses to exogenous stimuli which mimic neoplasia.

• OSTI ID: 7024558
• Journal Information: Water Resources Bulletin; (USA), Journal Name: Water Resources Bulletin; (USA) Vol. 24:5; ISSN WARBA; ISSN 0043-1370
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AUSTRALASIA
AUSTRALIA
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
DISEASES
FISHES
MONITORING
NEOPLASMS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
POLLUTION
VERTEBRATES
WATER POLLUTION