M.N. Alexis, K.K. Karanikolas, R.H. Richards-1997
Aquaculture, 151: 209-218
Abstract:
The appearance of pathological signs owing to vitamin C deficiency
and the wound healing response were followed in experiments with
gilthead bream, initial weight 0.5 g, fed with increasing levels of
ascorbic acid in the diets. The levels of ascorbic acid used ranged
from 0 to 3.2 g/kg diet.
Certain pathological signs such as extensive tubular damage,
glomerulonephritis, and inflammatory response of the haemopoetic
tissue producing granuloma and in some cases extending in the
nearby tissues and organs, appeared in all fish fed the vitamin C
deficient diet, while fish fed the diet supplemented with 50 mg
ascorbate per kilogram of diet showed only damage to renal tubules.
The gross deficiency signs observed were anorexia, scale loss,
depigmentation, internal and external haemorrhages. Mortalities
reached a high level after the first month of rearing. The wound
healing response showed a direct correlation to ascorbate level in the
diet. The unknown etiology of granulomatosis observed by other
researchers in cultured seabream may be related to vitamin C
deficiency, since in this experiment, it produced the same kidney
pathology.
(National Centre for Marine Research, Aghios Kosmas, Helliniko,
GR 16604, Athens, Greece)
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