title: Histopathological alterations of the heart in fish: proposal for a standardized assessment.
abstract: Histopathological alterations in the heart are often reported in fish as a result of exposure to a variety of chemical compounds. However, researchers presently lack a standardized method for the evaluation of histopathological alterations in the cardiovascular system of fish and the calculation of an 'organ index'. Therefore, we designed a method for a standardized assessment and evaluation of histopathological alterations in the heart of fish. As a model species, we used rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, but the protocol was also successfully applied to other fish species belonging to different taxonomic orders. To test the protocol, we re-evaluated sections of atenolol-exposed and unexposed rainbow trout obtained in a previous study. The results were in accordance with those previously published, demonstrating the applicability of the protocol. The protocol provides a universal method for the comparative evaluation of histopathological changes in the heart of fish.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, South Bohemian Research Centre of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Zátiší 728/II, 389 25, Vodnˇany, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Steinbach
authors.forename: Hana Kocour
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kroupová
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wahli
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klicnarová
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Posthaus
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss