title: Raised plasma vitellogenin in male wild brown trout (Salmo trutta) near a wastewater treatment plant in Ireland.
abstract: Ovotestis (intersex) and raised plasma vitellogenin in male fish are widely employed biomarkers of estrogen contamination in the aquatic environment. In the present study, these biomarkers were used to determine whether Irish rivers contain estrogenic chemicals at levels capable of affecting the reproductive health and success of exposed fish populations. A number of aquatic ecosystems were investigated (the rivers Liffey, Lee, and Bandon and the Killarney lakes). A survey of male wild brown trout (Salmo trutta) was carried out to assess the incidence of endocrine disruption in the feral fish population; no evidence of intersex was found in any of the wild fish sampled. Raised plasma vitellogenin was detected, however, in the wild brown trout downstream of a major municipal wastewater treatment plant on the river Liffey.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology, Cork, Ireland. heloise.tarrant@cit.ie
authors.forename: Heloise
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tarrant
authors.forename: Geriasimos
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mousakitis
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wylde
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tattersall
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maloney
authors.forename: Neville
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Llewellyn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000737:chemistry; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000032:analysis; D004967:Estrogens / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D007494:Ireland; D008297:Male; D045483:Rivers; D012744:Sex Ratio; D014337:Trout; D014819:Vitellogenins / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*; D015003:Yeasts / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004967:Estrogens; D014819:Vitellogenins; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical