Measurements of blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow, PO2 and oxygen content of blood and examination of the heart of Antarctic fish Pagothenia borchgrevinki with x-cell disease and healthy fish

The effect of x-cell disease on aspects of cardiovascular and respiratory physiology was investigated in resting and exercised fish and in healthy and diseased fish. Fish had cannulae inserted in the afferent branchial artery to measure ventral aortic (pre gill) blood pressure and heart rate and in the efferent branchial artery (post gill) to measure dorsal aortic blood pressure.

Blood flow through the ventral aorta, PO2 and the oxygen content in the blood of x-cell infected fish was also measured. The heart of diseased fish was examined to elucidate whether the chronic hypertension has any effect. The stress physiology of fish was also investigated with measurements of blood pressures and heart rates from the ventral and dorsal aortae in fish that were stressed.