인공 종묘 생산한 황복 (Takifugu obscurus)자어의 사육 중에 발생한 척추 변형의 원인을 조사하기 위하여 변형어를 병리조직학적으로 조사하였다. 척추 변형은 부화 후 80일령의 황복으로 변형의 발생율은 전체 사육 미수의 약 90%였다. 변형어를 soft-X ray로 촬영한 결과 부레의 팽창은 정상적이었으며, 병리조직학적으로는 변형이 발생한 척추 주변의 근섬유 다발이 소형화되면서 모양도 불규칙하게 변하였다. 그러나 새변 연골은 뒤틀림이나 증생 등은 관찰되지 않았다. 척추 변형이 발생한 종묘 생산장에서는 일반적인 사육 방식보다 1-2일 정도 사육수를 빨리 순환시키면서 급이하고 있었는데, 그 후 황복이 무리를 형성하고 나서, 급이하면서 사육수를 환수한 결과 변형의 발생은 없었다. 병어의 조직학적 변화를 사육방식과 더불어 고찰하였을 때, 유영 능력이 불완전한 황복에 급이하면서 사육수를 환수시킴으로써 황복이 먹이를 섭취하기 위하여 수류에 저항하면서 유영한 것이 척추 변형의 원인으로 작용하였을 것으로 생각한다.
Skeletal deformity in hatchery-reared river puffer (Takifugu obscurus) fingerlings occurred. The vertebral abnormality was recognized with naked eyes 80 days after hatching. Affected fish had a good appetite but no clinical signs were found except the vertebral abnormality. As more than 90% of the hatchery-reared fish exhibited vertebral abnormality, the fingerlings could not be used for commercial seeds any more. Morphological changes in the vertebrate and the swim bladder were observed with a soft X-ray. Histopathological changes on the caudal muscle around the deformed vertebrae, gill, and spleen were also examined to clarify the cause of the deformity. Spinal curvature occurred between vertebrae 10 and 12, but any malfunction of the swim bladder was not found. The diameters of the muscle fibers around the deformed vertebrae were much smaller and more irregular than those in normal fish, and the gabs between the fiber bundles were greatly enlarged. No evidence of inflammation response was found in the muscle layer. In the hatchery, feed was putting at the position of water inflow, which might attract the fingerings to move toward the feed in spite of incomplete development of their caudal muscle fibers. From these results, it is suggested that the high speed of water current in rearing aquaria might be associated with the development of vertebral abnormality.
