Abnormalities of Muscle and Liver Tissues Structure in the Amur Sturgeon Acipenser schrenckii and Kaluga Huso dauricus (Acipenseridae)

The results of histological analyses of the status of muscle and liver tissues in the Amur sturgeon Acipenser schrenckii and kaluga Huso dauricus are presented. Samples have been collected in the mouth of the Amur River in 2007. Pathological changes in most specimens of both species are found. The frequency of occurrence of the most distinctive abnormalities in muscles (curvature and exfoliation of muscle fibers, connective tissue insertions, and destructions of myofibrils) and liver (inflammable infiltrates, necrosis, fibrosis of vascular walls, and decomposition of hepatic cords) is estimated. These abnormalities are presumably a consequence of the Amur River water pollution. The degree of manifestation of the abnormalities found in some specimens varied from low to extremely high. The results were compared with similar data on sturgeon species inhabiting the Caspian Sea and the Volga River.

Automated summary

The histological analyses of muscle and liver tissues in Amur sturgeon and kaluga revealed pathological changes, possibly due to water pollution in the Amur River. The degree of abnormalities varied among specimens, and comparisons were made with sturgeon species in the Caspian Sea and the Volga River.