Hello Javed,

Wonderful pictures you have there, although they could have been much better with fine focusing and light resolution control. I have used the nikon a couple of times and it is an outstanding product.

I am not a fish pathologist but have a keen interest in the area.With the incessant proliferation of aquaculture everywhere, it surely will be a worthwhile expertise to adopt.

Generally, the fish gill serves the same function as the lung in higher animals. However, because the fish is always inside water and they come in contact with water, they are usually exposed to bacteria, toxins, viruses, parasites and chemicals present in the water. Water quality and microbial testing is thus paramount in ensuring the health of the fish, because if the gills are damaged, then the ionic exchange in the fish is compromised and death ensures within a short while.

The pics you have are showing the gill lamellae, the long branch is the primary lamellae, while the short tiny branching ones are the secondary lamellae. In the middle of the primary lamellae is a cartilage that makes the filament to be elastic so it can withstand the water tide. The primary lamellae consists of two main cells; Pillar cells and the chloride cells, both are important for normal homeostasis.

Like i mentioned earlier, the gill can be compromised by a lot of factors; mostly external. Although i do not know what experiment you are running at the moment (Toxicity studies, infection e.t.c). I will try and give you a basic morphological diagnosis (even though your picture quality is poor; the cells cannot be clearly identified).

Slide1: Here there is moderate gill syneching (matting of the gills) in the primary lamellae; note is different from bridging or fusion,where you have a complete fusion of the gills!. Other changes include, mild lymphocytic infiltration and epithelai hyperplasia. Inflammation here can be termed mild to moderate.

Slide 2: Here there is a more extensive reaction; there is vacuolation, gill syneching, diffuse bridging or fusion of the primary lamellae, marked or severe lymphocytic infiltration in the primary and secondary lamellae, hyperplasia of the epithelial cells (will be more visible at high resolution). Inflammation here is severe. The large round structures in the middle are the cartilages,made up of the chondrocytes.

Hope this helps a little!

Cheers!

Thank you, yes it helps me little because i still have confusion in identifying the structures. So could you please label them and resend it to me. I would be highly thankful to you.

I would be a co-supervisor then!

No worries i will do so and send during the weekend.

Cheers...

P.S: Do you have better resolution micro-graphs? Remember you need to include the magnification scale bar on the slide, not just the objective magnification.