Clinical pathology of myodegeneration (pancreas disease) in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

The clinical pathology and histopathology of two groups of Atlantic salmon with severe degenerative myopathy (pancreas disease) is described and compared with a third healthy group. One affected group was anorexic and had low plasma protein and albumin levels while the other was feeding and had normal levels. Both diseased groups had plasma and tissue vitamin E and selenium levels lower than the healthy group. Similarly, creatine kinase values were raised in affected groups. If representative of the syndrome as a whole, the results suggest that the myopathy of pancreas disease has a basis in a vitamin E-selenium deficiency, but whether primary or induced is not clear. The results also demonstrate that the myopathy and pancreatic atrophy do not inevitably lead to anorexia or any other clinically obvious sign of disease, despite both cardiac and oesophageal involvement.