Ultrastructural and clinicopathological studies on the toxicity of cationic acrylamide-based flocculant to rainbow trout

Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) of two age groups were exposed to a cationic acrylamide-based flocculant at various concentrations in static bioassay chambers. At lethal concentrations the flocculant produced severe gill alterations in all fish. The principal alterations were necrosis and separation of the respiratory epithelial cells covering secondary lamellae. Many necrotic chloride cells were also seen, their apical plasma membrane was destroyed, and mitochondria were swollen with separated cristae. An influx of a large amount of fluid into the interstitial spaces caused partial or complete separation of subepithelial spaces from the covering epithelial cells and basement membranes of underlying blood vessels. Clinicopathological alterations included marked decreases in blood pH, partial pressure of oxygen, bicarbonate and plasma sodium, and chloride concentrations. Hematocrit, total protein, and blood glucose were increased. Fish exposed to sublethal concentrations had gill alterations characterized by hypercellularity and thickening of the secondary lamellae. These were due to undifferentiated cell proliferation and macrophage and lymphocyte infiltration between the covering epithelial cells and the underlying blood vessels. Macrophages and undifferentiated cells had large phagolysosomes containing cytoplasmic organelles, an indication of cell injury and increased turnover.