Evaluation of Chemical-Nutritional Characteristics of Rainbow Trout Samples Affected by the “Red-Mouth Disease” Compared to Healthy Trout Samples

Abstract

Enteric Redmouth (ERM) disease is a serious systemic infection due to a gram-negative bacterium (Yersinia Ruckeri) which causes significant economic losses in salmonid aquaculture all over the world. This disease is called “Red-mouth” for the reddening of the mouth. Other clinical manifestations of this disease are: exophthalmia, ascites and haemorrhage with ulceration of palate, gill and operculum resulting in anorexia. Although this disease has been reported in other fish species, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are particularly susceptible to ERM. Rainbow trout is one of the most popular fish species in nature and in many countries it is also recognized as cultivated/farmed fish species, due to its fast growth and excellent nutritional quality. The target of this research being undertaken is to analyze the chemical-nutritional characteristics and evaluation of the oxidative processes in samples of rainbow trout fish affected by ERM compared to the healthy group. The results of analysis show significant differences concerning the contents of some qualitative and chemical-nutritional parameters in fish-meat samples belonging to animals that have recovered from the “red-mouth” disease and healthy ones. Despite this, the unhealthy rainbow trouts are good source of nutrition, similar than healthy trouts.