Fungal disease in

fishes

Characteristics of fungusFungi are member of the kingdom ThalIophytaFungi are colorless(no chlorophyll) and hetrotroph.Fungi have eukaryotic cell.Hyphae (unit of fungi), mycelium (group of fungi)Cell wall is made of chitin and reserve food (Glycogen).Fungus are responcible for serious and economically important diesease in Teleosts.1st fungal infection noted in fish by ARDERON in 1784

Classification of fungi

Mixomycetes. - (slim mould)

Phycomycetes. - (true fungi)

Ascomycetes. - (true fungi) EUMYCOTA

Basidomycetes. - (true fungi)

Deuteromycetes - (false fungi)

Mode of infection

Fungal infection are most common disease seen in temperate fishes.Poor water quality can also increase fungal infection in healthy fishes.Poor hygienic condition in pond also increase fungal infection in fishes.Fish that are injured have also spread disease in other fishes.Decomposing organic material in pond also spread fungal disease in fishes

Most fungal infection attack the external tissue and few fungal infection will infect the internal organs ( Gill’s, liver, kidney ,tissue, spleen, gonad’s etc).

All fungi produce spores and these spores spread disease.

MOST COMMON FUNGAL DISEASE ARE….SAPROLEGNIASIS - (Ectoparasitic disease)

BRANCHIOMYCOSIS - (Indoparasitic disease)

ICHTHYOPHONUS - (Indoparasitic disease)

ASPERGILLOMYCOSIS - (Indoparasitic disease)

SHRIMPMYCOSIS - (Indoparasitic disease)

SAPROLEGNIASISIt is fungal disease of fishes and fish eggs caused by member of family saprolegiaceae. Characterized by presence of cotton like, white to gray growth on the skin, gills or eyes of fishes or in fish eggs.

Causative agent:

Saprolegnia parasitic, Saprolegnia diclina and Achlya hoferi are the major etiological agents of saprolegniasis.

Mode of transmission:1). Direct contact between diseased fish or fish eggs and healthy

one.2). Indirect contact through several sources, including, the water

supply, transport vehicles, movement of staff between aquaculture facilities and farm equipment, such as nets.Clinical signs: 1).The appearance of cotton -like, white to grey growth on the skin, gills, fins and eyes or eggs of fish.

2).In severe cases, 80% of body may be covered with fungal growth.

3. In early infections, skin lesions are gray or white in color.4. Lethargy of fish and loss of equilibrium.5. Infected eggs are opaque in color with growth of fungus on eggs surface lead suffocation and become good medium for growth of the fungi.

Diagnosis:

1. Observation of a cottony, proliferative growth on the skin or gills alerts the clinician to a possible diagnosis of saprolegniasis.

2. Direct smear from fungal growth, presence of long, branched non-septate hyphae help in diagnosis of saprolegniasis.

3. Isolation and identification of saprolegnia using cultural method.

Treatment and control:1. Avoiding damage of skin during transportation of fish.

2. Right kind of food with sufficient amount must be provided to fish.

3. Over crowding of fish must be prevented.

4. Preventing the introduction of new fish to the fish farm until known that fish are free from disease.

5. Disinfection of the equipments and utensils to prevent spread of the infection.

Branchiomycosis (gill rot)

It is a fungal disease involving gill tissues, affecting the most species of freshwater fish.

Causative agent: (Branchiomyces sanguinis) : It grows mainly in the blood vessels of gill arches, filaments and in the gill lamellae.

(Branchiomyces demigrans) : This fungal species is found in the parenchymal tissues of the gills.

The fungi grow at temperature between 14 and 35C.

Mode of transmission:Fungal spores are transmitted by water to gills. These spores adhere to the gills, germinate and produce hyphae. The hyphae penetrate gills epithelium or within the blood vessels of gills depending on species of fungi.

Clinical signs:1. Fish become weak in movement.2. Fish do not react to the approach of man and can be caught by hand.

3. There are respiratory distress in infected fish and do not swallow the air.4. Fungus develops on or in gill tissue, or penetrates the blood vessels causing obstruction, congestion and necrosis of gill tissues.5. Gills may be appearing red from impaired circulation.

Diagnosis:1. Clinical signs.2. Microscopical examination of wet preparation from infected gill.3. Isolation and identification of the causative agent.

Treatment and control:1. Strict sanitation and disinfection are essential for disease control.2. Dead fishes should be collected and daily and burned or deeply buried.

3. Ponds with branchiomycosis should be dried and treated with calcium oxide (quicklime) or 2 to 3 kg copper sulphate per hectare.

4. Diseased fish can be treated with malachite green at 0.1mg/l for extended periods of time or 0.3mg/l for 12 hours.

5. Transportation of infected fish areas to non-infected areas must be prevents.

6. Regulating the feeding rate during warm weather.

Ichthyophonosis:It is the fungal disease of both freshwater and marine fish. Disease characterized by rough or granulomatus of the skin and white to gray-white lesions in the internal organs and different parts of the body.

Causative agent:Ichthyophonus hoferi, obligate parasite, spherical or oval in shape, yellowish-brown and has granulated cytoplasm. The fungus lives as an intercellular parasite in the tissues of various organs.

The optimum temperature is 10 C. Growth appeared within 7-10 days after inoculation.

Mode of transmission:1. Oral route: Ingestion of infected raw fishes or fish products or other food transmits disease.2. Skin abrasions or damaged gills help in transmission of the infection.3. Carriers help in spreading of the infection through faecal discharges.4. The disease can transmitted by contact between diseased fish & healthy one.

Clinical signs:1. Fish with slight or moderate infection. There is no external signs can be observed.

2. Fish with advanced infection have rough or granulomatus skin, the term sandpaper effect is used to describe the granulomatus appearance.

3. Lesions found in the internal organs as white nodules similar to the granulomatus lesion of mycobacterium infection.

4. Infection of liver or kidney lead to abdominal distension & exophthalmia.

6. Infection of swim bladder, which led to damage of it, fish lies on the bottom of the pond & died.7. Curvature of the vertebral column may also occur due to muscle spasms.

Diagnosis:

1 . Microscopical examination of infected tissues to detect the fungi (spores).2 . Histopatholgical examination.3 . Isolation and identification the causative agent.

Treatment and control:1. There are no therapeutic procedures for treatment of ichthyophonus disease.2. Prevention of infection is the best method for controls the disease.3. Feeding of raw fish or infected food must be prevented.4. Any infected fish or dead fish must be destroyed.5. All nets, brushes and utensils used around infected fish must also be disinfected at the same time.

Aspergillomycosis :Infection caused by Aspergillus spp. has increased in the recent years in fresh water fish. histopathology of Aspergillus spp. Infected fishes are very few and scattered .Present study is an effort to find out the pathogenecity of both the isolated species of Aspergillus on some fresh water fishes and also to find out histological alterations in various tissues due to infection.fishes showing external symptoms like white fungoid patches were collected from Bhopal .

Showing cottony outgrowths with out any lesion or wound

Aspergillomycosis- Only recently discovered as a pathogen of farmed fish (1983).largely described for cultured Tilapia usually seen after any stress in terms of management of fish in ponds (partial harvest, weighing, etc.Pathology: abdominal distension, darkening of color, lethargy; incision of body cavity , copious amounts of fluid .look for hyphae in liver, spleen, kidney, intestine, swim bladder Epizootiology: mortalities of at least 20% of stock

Shrimp Mycosis: This disease largely caused by Lagenidium callinectes or Sirolpidium sp. Two fungal agents can cause rapid mortality of entire tank fungi have similar life cycles, producing hyphae which spread throughout the body. Major signs: dead or moribund larvae show obvious hyphae, death in 3-5 days if untreated

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