Histopathological changes in the gills of fresh water fish Channa striatus (Bloch) infected with Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome (EUS)

Abstract

Fish diseases are the vital problem of the fishery industry. Fish requires optimal hydrobiological parameters for growth and survival. Poor pond management practices, higher stocking rate and uncongenial environmental conditions result into disease outbreaks. The current study was performed on Channa striatus which are also known as ‘Snake-heads’, that are infected with Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome (EUS). The acclimmatized fishes were classified with selective lesions as healthy and diseased fish; the latter were further classified as mildly infected, severely infected fish and their gills were examined for macroscopical and histological lesions. The Structural alterations such as change in shape, epithelial proliferation; lamellar fusion and necrosis were observed. It can be concluded from our study that structural and microscopic alterations in gills serve as biomarker for severity of EUS in fish.