IS FISH MYCOBACTERIOSIS INFECTIOUS? TUBERCULOSIS FISH, TREATMENT
Mycobacteriosis is a chronic bacterial disease. It is caused by sticks resistant to many environmental factors, including temperature fluctuations and pH. These bacteria divide slowly, so the development of the disease is not violent. The survival rate in this case is up to three months or more.
FISH MYCOBACTERIOSIS
Infection of fish usually occurs through the digestive system (eating infected food, biting dead and infected fish, eating dead organic matter), gills and skin (damaged skin). Mycobacteriosis can also be transmitted by the mother to her offspring.
MYCOBACTERIOSIS - TUBERCULOSIS FISH
Due to its late diagnosis and high severity, this disease is one of the most deadly and dangerous for fish. In the initial phase, the disease is basically asymptomatic. Afterwards, however, the infection progresses, the internal organs are attacked, on which grayish-white granulomas are formed, causing their swelling. The disease also attacks the skeletal system - the spine of the fish undergoes deformities.
Unfortunately, treatment attempts are generally ineffective and diseased fish pose a serious threat to other specimens. These healthy fish, too, at first glance, can be a carrier of sticks and a source of infection. Sometimes the disease becomes active after a longer period of time. Sometimes chopsticks stay in the vector's body in a dormant form.
Treatment methods Mycobacteriosis
It is a very difficult disease to cure, because the symptoms appear when it is already well advanced and the internal organs are destroyed. The sticks are also resistant to most known antibiotics.
FISH MYCOBACTERIOSIS - TREATMENT
Fish can be treated, of course, but the chances of success are low. When the introduced treatment does not work, all fish living in an infected aquarium must be eliminated and the entire tank disinfected. Sick fish are transferred to a separate aquarium for the duration of the treatment, in which case special protective gloves must be worn.
Long-lasting bath with antibiotics
Kanamycin and vitamin B6 - this antibiotic is added to fish food in the amount of 10 mg per 100mg of food (this dose is used for 10 days) or 10 mg per liter of water. The dosage of antibiotics is as follows - a drop per 20 litres of water (30-day bath).
Tank disinfection
Special protective gloves must be worn before disinfection can begin. They must be on the hands when in contact with contaminated equipment, water or fish.
The sticks are resistant to disinfection with agents containing chlorine and ammonium compounds or bleach. They are sensitive to alcohol. All components, substrate, decorations and aquariums should be thoroughly disinfected and can be washed beforehand. In this case, alcohol works best. Then everything has to be washed again very thoroughly. Isopropyl alcohol, salicyl alcohol or an antiseptic agent with an alcohol content of at least 60% is most commonly used for disinfection. Then the hands must be washed thoroughly in 70% solution of isopropyl alcohol and bactericidal soap.
IS MYCOBACTERIOSIS INFECTIOUS?
In this case, there is a risk of being infected by humans. It is visible mainly in the form of pustules on the skin of body parts that were exposed to infected water. Sometimes the symptoms at first glance resemble sepsis or ichthyosporidiosis. Sick fish are also often subject to secondary infections by bacteria. The disease mainly affects thermophilic fish from the bite, cyprinids, balloonids, cichlids and viviparous families.
Prevention
In this situation, it is worth observing a few basic principles:
- Do not cause sudden changes in water parameters - its temperature and pH,
- It is necessary to take care of good water quality, regularly check the level of ammonia and nitrite, chlorine, disease or oxygen dissolved in the water,
- UV lamps can also be used as a preventive measure to sterilize water,
- Fish should be provided with an appropriate diet - diversified and rich in vitamins and microelements,
- Fish must never be overfed - they are fed as much food as they can eat at a time,
- The tank should not be interrupted,
- Fish do not like stressful situations and they need to be limited - during water change you have to be careful, the key to success is also proper selection of the aquarium stock, not using too much chemistry, shoal fish like being in larger groups and clumps of vegetation,
- in the case of new fish, quarantine must always be used, and they can always carry very dangerous bacteria.