Mycobacteriosis in fish: description, symptoms and treatment of the disease

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Mycobacteriosis in fish is a fairly common pathology. Moreover, the disease can affect both aquarium inhabitants and inhabitants of natural reservoirs. A lover of domestic animals should be extremely careful, because the disease is insidious and is treated only in the initial stages. If appropriate measures are not taken at the first sign of pathology, the fish will die.

Mycobacteriosis in fish: symptoms

Symptoms of pathology are quite extensive and multifaceted. The aquarist may suspect something is wrong by the general appearance of the fish. She becomes lethargic, loses her appetite and actively loses weight. In this case, the color turns pale, the scales fall out and the destruction of the fins occurs.

Among the rarer but possible signs are:

• bug-eyed;
• darkening eyes;
• appearance of black spots and open wounds.

You should know that such signs can be both single andappear in a complex.

Signs of disease depending on fish species

When mycobacteriosis develops in fish, symptoms and treatment may vary, depending on the variety of aquarium inhabitants. So, among representatives of Picelia, diseased relatives keep in isolation from the rest of the group. They completely refuse food, while their sharp exhaustion is noticeable. The abdomen retracts, the back bends, there is an eruption of the bones through the scales and the protrusion of the eyes.

If the disease has overtaken the species of macropods, then it can be calculated by the red skin and raised scales. This situation arises due to the pressure of the liquid that accumulates inside the scale pockets. You can see a thorn in the eyes of a fish. After that, bulging eyes develop and complete blindness occurs. The body of the fish is covered with black dots.

If there are bettas in the aquarium, their skin stretches and becomes completely transparent after about a month. Fish move in jerks, while their complete apathy is observed. They stop eating and swim belly up or on their side.

Causes for the development of pathology

Mycobacteriosis in aquarium fish is often referred to as tuberculosis of aquatic life. Disease carried:

• with primer;
• contaminated food;
• plants.

Infected shellfish or other fish can also serve as a provoking factor. Cases have been recorded when insects that flew to a watering place served as a source of infection in an open reservoir. Aquarium water is exposed to contamination due to improper maintenance of fish. A weakened immune system can serve as an impetus for the development of the disease.

Pay attention

Experienced aquarists know that mycobacteriosis in fish can develop when an infected individual enters the water. Therefore, special attention must be paid to those cold-blooded animals that are selected for sharing. Not worth buying:

• small relatives (compared to the rest in the whole flock);
• with suspiciously large eyes;
• too thin.

Some feel sorry for these fish and think that with proper care they will get better. However, most often their body is already affected by the deadly bacteria of mycobacteriosis. The body of a cold-blooded stubbornly resists the disease, so the fish look a little different than others. It is worth remembering that it is already impossible to cure such an individual.

Mycobacteriosis in fish: treatment

It is possible to achieve a positive result in treatment only if the pathology was detected in the early stages. If a TB suspect is identified before it has lost its appetite, medication may be used.

When mycobacteriosis in fish is confirmed, treatment with Pyrazinamide should be carried out according to the following scheme:

• You can dig 10 milligrams of the drug for every 10 grams of feed;
• You can add 3 grams of medication per 100 liters of aquarium water.

"Pyrazinamide" belongs to the category of antibiotics. Therefore it shouldtake into account that the medicine, along with pathogenic bacteria, kills all useful ones. As a result, quite often, against the background of treatment, the biobalance in the aquarium fails.

Advanced treatment

If mycobacteriosis in fish is detected in the later stages, then, according to experienced aquarists, treatment is no longer possible. You need to do the following:

• completely destroy all diseased specimens;
• drain the water from the aquarium;
• thoroughly disinfect the walls of the container using 5% bleach solution or 3% chloramine solution.
• shellfish and plants are also subject to destruction;
• decoration and ground can be disinfected, but it is better to replace them as well.

It must be remembered that the bacterium that causes tuberculosis in fish is resistant to acids. In addition, she feels great at a temperature characteristic of aquarium water (from 18 to 25 degrees).

Danger to humans

You need to be extremely careful, because mycobacteriosis in fish is dangerous for humans. If the disease is found in the abodes of the aquarium, then all disinfection work should be carried out by a person who does not have abrasions or cuts on his hands. If there are open wounds on the skin, then the pathogenic bacterium quickly penetrates through the affected epithelium and provokes the development of the inflammatory process. If you suspect an infection, you should immediately visit a dermatologist.

Don't neglect safety. On the skin of the handssores will form, the healing of which will last for years. Of course, fish tuberculosis will not go beyond the skin of the hands, because the temperature inside the human body is too high.

Therapy of disease

Mycobacteriosis in fish can be treated only in the initial stages. Effective methods of treating pathology at subsequent stages have not yet been developed. The disease is considered incurable, so usually therapy is reduced only to a qualitative improvement in the conditions of detention.

If not severely affected individuals are found, then with an optimal standard of living, self-healing can occur. However, with obvious signs of the disease, it is necessary to destroy the fish and the plants surrounding it. If it is necessary to preserve the soil, then it is boiled.

To properly disinfect the aquarium, it is necessary to fill it with a solution of chloramine and wipe all internal and external corners several times during the day. Only then should the aquarium be thoroughly rinsed with very hot water. Then fresh or boiled soil is poured and settled water is poured. After the plants are planted, fully he althy fish can be released.

Prevention of a dangerous disease

To protect the wards from the aquarium from a dangerous disease, it is necessary to maintain optimal conditions for their maintenance. Mycobacteriosis is considered a typical pathology of a weakened organism. Therefore, if the disease is detected, then this means unsuitable conditions for the fish:

• overcrowding;
• sanitary and hygienic violations;
• lack of oxygen;
• bad filtering.

Consequently, the prevention of mycobacteriosis disease is to ensure perfect hygiene in the aquarium and the presence of everything necessary in the water. The level of beneficial microbes in the water should be maintained at the proper level. At the same time, the content of harmful organisms should be minimized. To do this, the aquarium should be placed in a place that is well lit by the sun. Some microbes are killed by ultraviolet radiation.

Conclusion

It is important to remember that bacteria of a dangerous disease affect not only fish. Pathogenic microorganisms are dangerous to humans, therefore, when working with infected individuals, maximum caution should be exercised.

Infection can occur through abrasions and wounds on the hands, as well as through the mouth. If there is a suspicion that bacteria has entered the site of an abrasion or cut, you should consult a doctor.

The incubation period lasts three weeks. After that, ulcers appear on the skin. If treatment is not started on time, then healing occurs only after two to three years. At the same time, the quality of human life significantly changes for the worse. He experiences constant itching, pain and a general deterioration in well-being. Only a complex treatment prescribed by a dermatologist can quickly restore the he alth of the skin of the hands and at the same time guarantee the absence of side effects.

The disease is not limited to aquarium fish. Therefore it shouldexercise reasonable care when fishing and dispose of obviously infected individuals. Of course, such fish will not cause any particular harm to he alth during heat treatment. However, when cutting it, infection of the hands can occur. In this regard, you should not give small children caught suspicious fish in their hands.