Every year, ulcerative dermal necrosis (UDN) affects salmonids that spend most of their lives in the sea during their migration to the rivers of northern Poland to spawn. The clinical form of the disease manifests itself in ulcerative skin lesions, which lead to significant weakening of the fish and, in most cases, result in their death. This study was carried out on samples taken from sea trout in the Słupia River in northern Poland. In order to identify the pathogen, experiments on the transmission of the disease were carried out, and additional histopathological, microbiological and electron microscopic examinations were performed. As a result of these studies, it was possible to experimentally transfer the disease from sick to healthy fish. The results indicate a complex etiology of the disease (lack of a clearly defined pathogen), in which the change in the environment from salty to freshwater triggers the related changes in skin physiology, which are the main causes of increased susceptibility to the development of the disease.
Keywords: pathogenesis; pathology; salmonids; skin lesions; spawning migration.