Viral diseases
Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (VHS):
Caused:
By bacillary shaped virus belonging to the rhabdoviridae
It is an acute or subacute to chronic viral
It effects the cell and nervous manifestation of the cell
Rainbow trout of all stages are susceptible
Symptoms:
Poor feeding, erratic swimming, darkness of the skin
Exophthalmia (bulging eye) & ascites (fluid in the body cavity)
The kidney is swollen & the liver is pale in colour
Rapid respiration
Mortality is between 25 % - 78 %
Diagnosis:
Clinical signs & P.M. finding, histological examination, isolation & identification
of the virus, hematological examination
Transmission & Prevention:
Transmission with contaminated water, feces & through eggs
Good management of the fish farm with removal of the predisposing factor
Sanitation & disinfection of all equipment & utensils in fish farm
Providing good diet to the fish
Control:
No control method
Prevention of the disease is the best method of control
Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN):
Caused:
By infectious pancreatic necrosis virus belonging to Birnaviridae
Most common seen diseases in the salmonid fish
It is a epizootic diseases
Symptoms:
Sudden increase in mortality
The affected individuals swim in a rotating manner about their long axis
Mortality reaches to 25 %
Diagnosis:
It is diagnosed by PCR, ELISA & histological pancreatic lesion
Prevention:
Good management of the fish farm with removal of the predisposing factor
Sanitation & disinfection of all equipment & utensils in fish farm
Providing good diet to the fish
Control:
No control method
Use of iodine may be useful
Bacterial diseases
Bacterial gill disease:
Caused:
By Myxobacteria
It effects the gill of the fish
Symptoms:
Swelling in gill lamellae
Change in gill colour
Diagnosis:
Based on signs, symptoms & microscopic demonstration
Prevention:
Transmission with contaminated water, feces
Perform regular water changes
Avoid overcrowding the tank
Use disinfect nets & other equipment’s
If the tank is well maintained & the fish fed a healthy diet outbreak is
prevented
Control:
No control method
Using antibiotics like neomycin, chloramphenicol etc. may be help full
Terramycin has proven to be quite effective both as a bath, & when used to
treat foods for internal infections
Associate diseases
Bacterial Hemorrhagic Septicemia (BHS)
Caused:
By Aeromonas hydrophila, a gram – negative bacterium of Aeromonadaceae &
environmental factors
It effects the kidneys & liver
overall body of the organisums is effected in the presences of other infections
Symptoms:
Poor feeding, erratic swimming, darkness of the skin
Rapid respiration
Low feeding rate is seen
Mortality reaches to 20 %
Diagnosis:
It is diagnosed by PCR
Transmission & Prevention:
Transmission with contaminated water, feces
Good management of the fish farm with removal of the predisposing factor
If the tank is well maintained & the fish fed a healthy diet outbreak is
prevented
Control:
No control method
Prevention of the disease is the best method of control
Fin rot / tail rot:
Caused:
By Myxobacteria & environmental factors
It effects the fins & tail of the fish
Symptoms:
Fin edges turn white
Fins fray
Bases of fins inflamed
Entire fin ay rot away
Diagnosis:
Based on signs, symptoms & microscopic demonstration
Prevention:
Transmission with contaminated water, feces
Perform regular water changes
Avoid overcrowding the tank
Use disinfect nets & other equipment’s
If the tank is well maintained & the fish fed a healthy diet outbreak is
prevented
Control:
Treat with antibiotics like maracyn-2 etc.
Terramycin has proven to be quite effective both as a bath, & when used to
treat foods for internal infections
Fungal diseases
Saprolegniasis:
Caused:
By Saprolegnia
Effects the internal organs of the fish
Symptoms:
Fish have greyish white woolly fungi on the body surface
Lesion in internal organs
Diagnosis:
Based on signs, symptoms & microscopic demonstration
Transmission & Prevention:
Transmission with contaminated water, feces, organic matter & through
wounds of the fish
Good management of the fish farm with removal of the predisposing factor
If the tank is well maintained & the fish fed a healthy diet outbreak is
prevented
Control:
No treatment is available
Prevention of the disease is the best method of control
Dermatomycosis:
Caused:
By various member of class Oomycete
It effects the skin of the fish
Symptoms:
Appearance of fine hair like tuffs hanging from the infected areas
The fine become eroded
Hemorrhagic at the latter stage of disease infected eggs tend to stick together
& finally die
Diagnosis:
Based on signs, symptoms & microscopic demonstration
Transmission & Prevention:
Transmission with contaminated water, feces, organic matter & through
wounds of the fish
The disease is best prevented by providing adequate maintenance routine & a
balanced diet
Environmental management is essential any uneaten food, dead mollusks &
fish should be promptly removed from the tank
Control:
No permanent treatment is available
Use of copper sulphate solution, potassium permanganate at the dose of 1g
per 10L of water for 30 min or basic violet K is used
Protozoan diseases
Ichthyphthiriasis (Fresh water) / Cryptocaryoniasis (Sea water):
Caused:
By ichthyophthirius mulfifillis & cryptocaryon irritans
Symptoms:
White spots will appear on the caudal & pectoral fins which later extend to the
body surface & gills
The sick fish get irritable & restless
The eyes become white & turbid and the fish gradually lose appetite
The fish rub against solid surface which results in loss of scales, muscular
inflammation & rot
Diagnosis:
Based on signs, symptoms & microscopic demonstration of the scrapings of the
effected tissue
Transmission & Prevention:
The disease is transmitted through direct & indirect contact with infected fish
The disease is best prevented by providing adequate maintenance routine & a
balanced diet
Environmental management is essential any uneaten food, dead mollusks &
fish should be promptly removed from the tank
Control:
Immerse in solution of 1:4000 formaldehyde or
1;250000 potassium permanganate for one hour
Whirling disease
Caused:
By Myxosoma (Myxovolus) cerebralis
It is seen in salmonids
It effects the internal organs & mainly bones of the fish
Symptoms:
Damage of the cartilaginous parts of ear
Fish swim in circles, the rest on the bottom & again begin to whirl in circles
The body becomes black in colour
Malformations of vertebral column
Fish cannot feed and die from exhaustion
Diagnosis:
Case history, clinical signs & cut section of the skull
Transmission & Prevention:
Transmission with contaminated water, feces, organic matter & through
wounds of the fish
The disease is best prevented by providing adequate maintenance routine & a
balanced diet
Environmental management is essential any uneaten food, dead mollusks &
fish should be promptly removed from the tank
Control:
No availability of the treatment
Prevention of the disease is the best method of control
Nodular disease / Amoebiasis:
Caused:
By Amoebae
It effects the gills of the fish
Symptoms:
Limited hepatic necrosis
Lamellar hyperplasia manifested as white nodules
Diffuse pallor, excess mucus is seen
Diagnosis:
Case history, clinical signs & skin scraping
Transmission & Prevention:
Transmission with contaminated water, feces, organic matter & through
wounds of the fish
The disease is best prevented by providing adequate maintenance routine & a
balanced diet
Environmental management is essential any uneaten food, dead mollusks &
fish should be promptly removed from the tank
Control:
No treatment is available
Prevention of the disease is the best method of control
Gyrodactylosis:
Caused:
parasitic disease caused by species of genus gysedactylidae
It effects the fresh water & marine water fishes
It is an external fluke effecting skin, gills, fins
Symptoms:
The gills are pale
Fish gasps for air
Scales – droop is seen
Sin peels off
Diagnosis:
Case history, clinical signs & skin scraping
Transmission & Prevention:
Transmission with contaminated water, feces, organic matter & through
wounds of the fish
The disease is best prevented by providing adequate maintenance routine & a
balanced diet
Environmental management is essential any uneaten food, dead mollusks &
fish should be promptly removed from the tank
Control:
Dip treatment with Nacl solution (5 %) for 5 min
1:5000 formalin solution
10 ppm acriflavin after 2-3 days
Dip in 2-4 ppm methyle blue
Dactylogyrosis:
Caused:
Parasitic disease caused by species of genus dactylogyrus
It effects the fresh water & marine water fishes
It is also called Gill fluke
It effects the respiratory malfunction
Symptoms:
The gills are pale, sometimes mosaic-patterned & covered with mucus
Fish gasp for air & their respiration is impeded
Rubbing of fish skin to the solid surface is seen
The colour of fish is faded
Diagnosis:
Case history, clinical signs & skin scraping
Transmission & Prevention:
Transmission with contaminated water, feces, organic matter & through
wounds of the fish
The disease is best prevented by providing adequate maintenance routine & a
balanced diet
Environmental management is essential any uneaten food, dead mollusks &
fish should be promptly removed from the tank
Control:
Dip treatment with Nacl solution (5 %) for 5 min
1:5000 formalin solution
10 ppm acriflavin after 2-3 days
Dip in 2-4 ppm methyle blue
Argulosis:
Caused:
By species of Argulidae
it effects the skin & body surface of the fish
it is mostly seen in fresh water fish
Symptoms:
The fish show decelerated growth due to anorexia
Develop surface wounds as they rub their bodies against objects
In advanced stages damage of the internal organs is seen
Hyperplasia at wound margin is seen
Diagnosis:
Case history, clinical signs, skin scraping & wet mount of skin
Transmission & Prevention:
Transmission with contaminated water, feces, organic matter & through
wounds of the fish
The disease is best prevented by providing adequate maintenance routine & a
balanced diet
Environmental management is essential any uneaten food, dead mollusks &
fish should be promptly removed from the tank
Control:
Immerse in solution of 1:250000 potassium permanganate for 2 to 3 hours
Lernaeasis:
Caused:
By lernaea (also known as anchor worms)
It effects the skin and internal tissues of the fish
Symptoms:
The fish show decelerated growth due to anorexia
Develop surface wounds as they rub their bodies against objects
In advanced stages damage of the internal organs is seen
Diagnosis:
Case history, clinical signs & skin scraping
Transmission & Prevention:
Transmission with contaminated water, feces, organic matter & through
wounds of the fish
The disease is best prevented by providing adequate maintenance routine & a
balanced diet
Environmental management is essential any uneaten food, dead mollusks &
fish should be promptly removed from the tank
Control:
Immerse in solution of 1:250000 potassium permanganate for 2 to 3 hours
Trichlorofon is also used in advanced stages but must be used by consulting
vererinarian
Vitamin deficiency diseases:
Vitamin deficiencies:
Usually, nutritional deficiency signs develop slowly, and it is very difficult to detect
clear signs at the early stages. However [17]. Poor appetite, poor feed efficiency and
reduced weight gain are some of the vitamin deficiency signs. The farmers may
obtain indi-rect clues of vitamin deficiency from this sign.
Some of the vitamin deficiency diseases:
Nutritional myopathy
Nutritional Myopathy is associated with rancid fat or PUFA con-taining diets and low vitamin E
contents. When cellular integrity is compromised in the cell membrane, this disease can occur [4]. It
is a non-infectious and non-transmissible disease. Cromileptes al-tivelis fingerlings and bloodstock
are severely affected by this dis-ease [10]. Affected fish shows body color darkening, emaciation,
petechial at operculum and occasional spinal cord deformity. The disease can cause continuous low
mortality in Cromileptes altivelisfingerlings and mass mortality in Cromileptes altivelis bloodstock.
Steatitis and white fat disease
These diseases are caused by Vitamin E Deficiency. Vitamin E has antioxidant properties which to
plays important role in cellular membranes to maintain the integrity in the oxidative processes at
the storage of fish. Steatitis was induced experimentally in phocid seals and to measure the
relationships between vitamin E defi-ciency and hyponatremia. Vitamin E is commonly supplied to
the Piscivores at a rate of 100 mg/kg of feed to maintain high level of vitamin in blood serum.
Hyponatremia
Hyponatremia is a disease of marine fish which is related to salt deficiency. It is most common in
freshwater pinnipeds, saltwater animals, otarids, phocid seals, and other marine mammals. Clinical
signs are periodic weakness, tremor, lethargy, incoordination, and anorexia. Severely affected
animals may collapse in an Addisonian crisis, which can be fatal. Sodium chloride infusion therapy
can provide effective protection. Animals should be provided with continuous freshwater flow.
Thiamin deficiencies
Thiamin is a co-enzyme in carbohydrate metabolism and es-sential for normal nerve functions,
digestion and reproduction. Deficiency of thiamine is caused by thiaminase activity. Thiamine is also
destroyed by the activity of antithiamine substances in feed. These active enzymes can also destroy
thiamine if the fish sits for long periods before feeding. Fish species from sardine and anchovy
families contain enzymes which results in degradation of thiamin in the trash fish. Deficiency signs
appear when single spe-cies trash fish are fed for extended periods but not when mixed species.
Clinical signs of thiamine deficiency are Nervous Sys-tem disturbances, whitish body color, anorexia,
regurgitation, er-ratic swimming and mechanical injuries and hemorrhages on the body surface
which can led to death.
Avitaminosis
Absence of a particular vitamin leads to serious metabolic dis-orders referred to as Avitaminosis
that is frequently fatal. High deficiency of vitamin can lead to non-specific growth retardation and
susceptibility to diseases. Vitamin deficiency disease does not usually occur in ponds which can
result in depressed immune function and chronic disease. Optimum level of vitamin is required for
the development of immunity in the early stages of their life cycle.
Hypervitaminosis
Under different conditions, accumulated water soluble vita-mins can produce a toxic condition
which is called Hypervitamin-osis Usually, these types of conditions do not occur under practical
farming conditions. Hypervitaminosis has been successfully in-duced in experimental units in fish
and the reported toxicity signs
Environmental diseases
Gas bubble disease:
Caused:
By an increase in the dissolved gas pressure above the ambient air pressure
It is a non-infectious environmentally induced trauma
The gas bubbles caused by oxygen are not lethal but that caused by nitrogen
and carbon dioxide are lethal
Symptoms:
Gas bubble disease manifests as acute mortality & may occur in minutes
Exophthalmos is seen
Blindness
Swollen gill lamella
Diagnosis:
Gill biopsies & wet mount examination of other organs under the microscope
may show gas emboli within the bloodstream
Transmission & Prevention:
No transmission is seen
Maintance of the gases in the pond is needed to prevent the disease
Control:
No treatment mostly irreversible because of the damage to the internal organs
