An intestinal preparation from the common eel (Anguilla anguilla) was characterized for both mucosal to serosal and serosal to mucosal transport of water, alanine, sodium and chloride. The preparation showed a net outflux of water and a net influx of alanine, and no net fluxes of sodium or chloride. The influxes of all four substances and the outflux of water were inhibited by ouabain, while th...

A sample of 189 short-finned eels (Anguilla australis) from four geographical areas in New Zealand were examined for the occurrence of the swimbladder nematode Anguillicola spp. Anguillicola novaezelandiae was found in three of the four localities. Overall, the prevalence was low (<12%) as was the intensity of infection (between 1 and 5 parasites per infected eel). In comparison with data from ...

The identification of five stages for female and two stages for male eels Anguilla anguilla using multivariate analysis was carried out on a large sample of individuals collected at six different locations in France. Stages corresponded to a growth phase (stages I and II), a pre-migrant phase (III) and two migrating phases (IV and V). It is likely that an important period of growth triggered si...

To examine the relationship between freshwater entry and otolith annular structures, a total of 113 naturally recruited European eels Anguilla anguilla from Lithuania and Latvia that entered fresh water at least once were collected. In some individuals (8.3-11.3%), the first freshwater entry coincided with a dark check that was distinctly different from neighbouring annuli. In most individuals ...

The Streptococcus pneumoniae fucose utilization operon includes a gene encoding a virulence factor that belongs to family 98 in the glycoside hydrolase classification. This protein contains a C-terminal triplet of fucose binding modules that have significant amino acid sequence identity with the Anguilla anguilla fucolectin. Functional studies of these fucose binding modules reveal binding to f...

Dioxins, furans and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were analysed in muscle tissue from yellow phased European eel (Anguilla anguilla) from 38 sites in Belgium. Dioxin concentrations in eel vary considerably between sampling locations, indicating that yellow eel is a good indicator of local pollution levels. Measured levels of dioxin-like PCBs are much higher than those of the diox...

The IXth and the Xth cranial nerves in Anguilla anguilla were transected, and the effects upon ion and water balance were studied in fresh water and sea water, and during transfer from fresh water and vice versa. In fresh water there is a slow demineralization due to an excess loss of Na and Cl ions. During freshwater to seawater transfer the eel survives only for 4-5 days. The fish do not drin...