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CHARACTERIZATION OF ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTION AND CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS IN LARGE-MOUTH BASS FROM FLORIDA LAKES
Citation:
Gross, D. A., T. S. Gross, B. Johnson, AND L C. Folmar. CHARACTERIZATION OF ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTION AND CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS IN LARGE-MOUTH BASS FROM FLORIDA LAKES. Presented at Second SETAC World Congress (16th Annual Meeting), Vancouver, BC, CANADA, November 05 - 09, 1995.
Impact/Purpose:
Presentation
Description:
Previous efforts from this laboratory, have documented altered endocrine function and sexual differentiation for alligators and turtles from Lake Apopka in Central Florida. This lake has been exposed to a variety of contaminants which are potentially endocrine-disrupting. Therefore, a survey of large mouth bass populations was conducted on several lakes in North Central Florida to examine reproduction and clinical health. Large-mouth bass were collected from Lakes Apopka, Griffin, Jessup and Woodruff. Approximately 24 fish (12 males and 12 females) were collected from each lake during the spawning (March-April) and non-reproductive (July-August) seasons. Plasma samples were collected for analysis of estrogen, testosterone and 11-keto-testosterone concentrations. Gonadal and liver tissues were collected for histological analysis. General blood chemistry analyses and parasite surveys were also conducted to estimate general health. Additionally, fillet samples were collected and analyzed for pesticide levels. Fish from Lake Apopka had unusual concentrations of estrogen and 11-keto-testosterone in plasma when compared to bass from Lakes Woodruff, Jessup and Griffin. Parasites loads were significantly higher for bass from Lake Apopka than from the other lakes. Male bass on Apopka had depressed concentrations of 11-keto-testosterone, skewing the E/T ratios upward while female bass had higher concentrations of estrogens than females from the other lakes, again resulting in skewed E/T ratios. These skewed E/T ratios are similar to those observed for alligators on the same lake and raise the possibility that they are caused by contaminants. However, contaminant levels in fillets did not differ significantly between lakes. These studies indicate potentially altered reproductive and immunological function for large-mouth bass living in a contaminated lake.