title: Contaminant concentrations and histopathological effects in Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus).
abstract: Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus) is a species of special concern in California, due to multiple anthropogenic stressors. To better understand the potential impact of contaminant exposure, adult splittail were captured from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (California, USA) and analyzed for histopathology and contaminant exposure. Organochlorine contaminants (PCBs, DDTs, dieldrin, chlordanes, and PBDEs) and trace metals (Ag, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn, V, and Zn) were detected in the tissues of all fish. In many samples, human health screening values were exceeded for PCBs (83 of 90 samples), DDTs (32 samples), and dieldrin (37 samples). In contrast, thresholds for fish effects were rarely exceeded. Histopathological analysis indicated the presence of macrophage aggregates in gonads, kidneys, and liver and a high incidence of liver abnormalities. In the liver, observed effects were often moderate to severe for glycogen depletion (55 of 95 fish), lipidosis (hepatocellular vacuolation; 51 fish), and cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (33 fish). Correlations between histopathology and tissue contaminant concentrations were weak and inconsistent. Significant correlations were observed between histopathology indicators and reductions in fish size, body condition, lipid content, and liver weight. These results suggest that splittail histopathology varies as a function of health and nutritional status, rather than exposure to legacy organic and metal pollutants.
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Estuary Institute, 7770 Pardee Lane, Oakland, CA 94621, USA. ben@sfei.org
authors.forename: Ben K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Greenfield
authors.forename: Swee J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Teh
authors.forename: John R M
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: Guohua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jay A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crane
authors.forename: Silas S O
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Dongfang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Foo-Ching
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Teh
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002140:California; D003530:Cyprinidae / Q000254:growth & development*; D003634:DDT / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D004026:Dieldrin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D006003:Glycogen / Q000172:deficiency; D006066:Gonads / Q000473:pathology; D002479:Inclusion Bodies / Q000473:pathology; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008064:Lipidoses / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D045483:Rivers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D006003:Glycogen; D003634:DDT; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D004026:Dieldrin