An epidermal papilloma of the Atlantic salmon I: Epizootiology, pathology and immunology.

Papillomatosis of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) was studied with regard to epizootiology, gross and histologic pathology, and host response. It was found to be a condition of parr in their second summer, but also occasionally of young adult fish (smolts and grilse) which have adapted to salt water. The lesion was plaque-like to papillomatous and consisted of stratified squamous epithelium with supporting stroma. Immunologic findings tended to support histologic observations that the lesion was ultimately sloughed as a result of a cell mediate immune response.