Salmon more slimy on top!

I had always noticed a difference in the frequency of mucus cells over the surface of the fish through my work, and now we have a report that quantifies it!

Journal of Fish Diseases
Volume 36, Number 2 (February 2013)
	Body site matters: an evaluation and application of a novel histological methodology on the quantification of mucous cells in the skin of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.
	Authors:	K Pittman, A Pittman, S Karlson, T Cieplinska, P Sourd, K Redmond, B Ravnøy, E Sweetman
	Author Affiliations:	no affiliations available
	Source:	Journal of Fish Diseases, Volume 36, Number 2 (February 2013)
	Page Numbers:	115 – 127
	Available Full Text:	Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text Format: PDF Size: unknown Location: Publisher’s Site Authentication: EBSCOhost EJS
	Abstract:	Mucous cell size and distribution were investigated in the skin of five salmon using a novel stereology-based methodology: one (48 cm) fish to test 15 tissue treatment combinations on measures of cell area and density on the dorsolateral region and, using the most suitable treatment, we mapped mucous cell differences between body regions on four (52 cm) salmon, comprising a male and a female on each of two diets. The section site, decalcification, embedding medium and plane of sectioning all impacted significantly on mucous cell size, whereas mucous cell density is more robust. There were highly significant differences in both mucosal density and mean mucous cell size depending on body site: the dorsolateral skin of the four salmon had significantly denser (about 8% of skin area) and larger (mean about 160 µm2) mucous cells, whereas the lowest mean density (about 4%) and smallest mean area (115 µm2) were found on the head. We found that 100 random measurements may be sufficient to distinguish differences >7 µm2in mean mucous cell areas. The results further suggest that salmon exhibit a dynamic repeatable pattern of mucous cell development influenced by sex, diet and possibly strain and season.
	Citation:	K Pittman, A Pittman, S Karlson, T Cieplinska, P Sourd, K Redmond, B Ravnøy, E Sweetman . Body site matters: an evaluation and application of a novel histological methodology on the quantification of mucous cells in the skin of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.. Journal of Fish Diseases, Volume 36, Number 2 (February 2013), pp. 115-127, <http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=41639E48C3F2C086D053&gt;
	URL:	http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=41639E48C3F2C086D053