Mycobacterial infections in adult salmon and steelhead trout returning to the Columbia River Basin and other areas in 1957

The degree of incidence of acid -fast bacillus infections in adult salmonid fishes was determined. The disease was shown to be widely distributed in the area examined. It is believed the primary source of infection is derived from the hatchery practice of feeding infected salmon products to juvenile fish. One group of marked adults that had been hatchery reared for 370 days showed a 62 percent incidence of infection. A statistical analysis indicated that length of fish is independent of infection