Fish disease - Amino acid deficiency

Signs of deficiency of dietary amino acids in fishes generally include reduced growth, poor feed conversion and reduced appetite.

A few amino acid deficiencies lead to anatomical abnormalities.

For instance, deficiency of methionine causes lake trout to develop bilateral lens cataracts and suffer poor growth and survival.

This effect of methionine deficiency on cataracts and suffer poor growth and survival.

This effect of methionine deficiency on cataracts was confirmed in rainbow trout.

Tryptophan deficiency causes scoliosis and lordosis in sockeye salmon and rainbow trout, but apparently not in catfish.

Further effects of tryptophan deficiency in rainbow trout include abnormal calcium deposits in the kidney and the bony plates surrounding the notochord and sheath.

Lysine deficiency in rainbow trout causes caudal fin rot, i.e. loss of much of the fin, but not in the lake trout.