Abstract
IN 1937 Dr. G. D. Athanassopoulos, professor of zoology in the University of Thessaloniki (Greece), reported that elvers and very young eels kept for a few days or a times for only a few hours, in the tanks of first culture stations in Italy, developed small blister ia their head regions (Internat. Rev. Ges. Hydrophiologie und Hydrographie, 36, 218; 1937). Leter he observed the same kind of blisters on elvers and very young eels in Greece. At first he believed this blistering to be caused by the water in the tanks becoming too warm, and attempted to prevent its occurrence by improving the flow of running water to the tanks in which the eels were kept. To his surprise, however, this treatment notably increased the incidence of blisters which, on examination, were found to contain atmospheric air. Further investigation revealed that the causative factor was excessive aeration of the water. The vesicles arise chiefly on the head, but occur also on other external surfaces of the body and even internally. They soon become centres of infection by bacteria and protozoa.
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Eels and their Environment. Nature 163, 55 (1949). https://doi.org/10.1038/163055b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/163055b0