On plasma volume measurement and the effect of experimental stress in the themale tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, maintained in fresh water.

Plasma volumes in male tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) of different size were estimated following intracardial injection of radioiodinated human serum albumin ((125)I-HSA), coupled with short-term, early sampling transient response analysis of 1251-HSA disappearance from the plasma pool. This approach circumvents vascular marker leakage problems associated with constant steady state indicator dilution methods, minimizes some sampling and mixing problems, and simplifies analysis of the data. Changes in hematological parameters due to experimental stress were also studied, because the fish were not chronically cannulated. Results were used in a novel way to correct estimates of plasma volume upward by 15%, thereby providing a potentially useful alternative approach to vascular volume measurement in species where stress-eliminating or reducing techniques, e.g., cannulation, are impractical or infeasible. Hematrocrits increased 38% at the onset, from 24.9% to 34.4%, and remained essentially constant during the 60 minute kinetic study, and plasma osmolalities increased 7%. Corrected plasma volumes Vp (ml) were a linear function of body weight (BW). The group mean Vp was 2.93% of BW and corresponding blood volumes were 3.9% of BW.