Concentrations of iron, copper, zinc and selenium in liver of salmon Salmo salar infected with Vibrio salmonicida

Abstract

Lethal infections with Vibrio salmonicida result in a significant reduction in liver concentrations of iron, copper, and selenium expressed as mg kg-1 wet wt liver. Infections also increase liver weight as the hepatic somatic index (HSI) is higher in dead and moribund fish than in survivors and non-infected fish. The net result is that total liver content of these minerals is not significantly different between healthy and diseased, experimentally infected fish.