| Unit
2 - Collection of Blood
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The regular monitoring of fish blood is a very useful diagnostic tool in establishing the health status of fish farm stocks. There are several different techniques which can be used to collect blood samples from fish. Blood may be taken by: These are some of the commonest techniques for extraction of blood samples from fish. However more advanced techniques include puncturing the common cardinal vein (duct of Cuvier) and cannulisation, which allows repeated extraction of blood from a single fish through a cannula which is surgically inserted, usually through the gills of the fish. In general whenever blood samples are taken, the tubes and syringes to be used should be treated with an anticoagulant (HT 2 Blood 1.1 ) such as heparin to prevent clotting. However, when serum is required this is not necessary as the blood is first allowed to clot (i.e. fibrinogen is converted to insoluble fibrin) in tubes and is then centrifuged to remove blood cells and fibrin. |
| Definitions |
| COAGULATION: The process of changing into a clot, by which an organic liquid solidifies, e.g. the clotting of blood. |