A River’s Microbiome May Protect Wild Salmon Against Malnutrition
Chinook salmon may be canaries in the coal mine by revealing that widespread thiamine deficiency could be quietly chiseling away at fish, bird and wildlife populations across the northern hemisphere
Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, are the largest and most valuable salmon in the world. CC0 Public Domain.
Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, is an essential dietary cofactor that is critical to proper cellular function in all living beings, playing a critical role in converting food into energy. Without enough thiamine, cellular-level functioning begins to fail. Affected animals behave abnormally, suffer immunosuppression, neurological and reproductive disorders, and can eventually die. Thiamine deficiency disorders can potentially reduce populations of affected species.
Thiamine deficiency complex (TDC) is known to affect Atlantic salmon in the Baltic Sea. But now, Chinook salmon in California’s Central Valley are also showing signs of TDC. Symptoms of TDC in salmonids are first noticeable between hatching and first feeding, and include abnormal swimming patterns and high mortality rates.
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