“Highlighting gill pathology – Better visualisation of an often complex picture (7333)”

Highlighting gill pathology – Better visualisation of an often complex picture

Gill issues in salmon, such as infectious diseases and damage from environmental stressors, significantly impact their respiratory efficiency, growth rates, and overall health, posing substantial challenges for sustainable aquaculture.

Histopathology is a powerful tool when assessing fish gills but interpretation of histopathology reports can be quite overwhelming. Histology reports are often lengthy and dense, with semi-quantitative assessment provided at best. Assessing changes between groups of fish over time or space can also be challenging.

In an increasingly visual and data heavy world, we need tools to aid interpretation of complex data and make information more approachable and appealing.

A graphical method of representing histological findings in gills, the “gill index”, was recently developed, based on semi-quantitative scoring of gill lesions. This method reflects the severity of 4 key pathological processes (inflammation, circulatory disturbance, cell damage and hyperplasia) and provides an overall “gill index” facilitating interpretation and comparison of patterns of damage between histopathology reports. Adding visual cues to histopathology reports empowers end-users to better identify the key changes and visualize their severity.

Examples of patterns of gill pathology from varying clinical scenarios will be presented along with their gill index visualization to illustrate the value of adding graphical elements to such reports.

Better understanding and presenting key drivers of gill changes will assist fish health providers in improved monitoring of gill health both during disease outbreaks and before and after routine husbandry operations.

1. Baily, Johanna, Patogen AS, Author
2. Herrero, Ana, Patogen AS, Author
3. Thoen, Even, Patogen AS, Author
4. Rodger, Hamish, Patogen AS, Author
5. Holm, Helle, Patogen AS, Author
6. Moen Hansen, Kristoffer, Patogen AS, Presenter
7. Wustner, Stefanie, Patogen AS, Author