All about Fish Vetting – Dr Richmond Loh
Q: What do you call a coral whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society?
A: Public anemone number 1.
Joke modified as an improvement on Dr Andrew Leingang’s Q:What is the most popular coral? A: Public anemone number one!
😛
The Aquatic Health Chapter of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists is keen to promote the field of aquatic animal health within veterinary schools in Australia and has established the ‘Dr Barry Munday Memorial Student Prize in Aquatic Animal Health’. The College Chapter seeks your assistance in nominating a suitable candidate from your respective institution for the 2014 prize. One prize is on offer for the top candidate from all nominations.
We are seeking nominations for students who have shown demonstrable interest in this field or have exhibited a high level of academic and practical competence in the aquatic animal health teaching program of your respective veterinary institution. The nomination is focused on students in either 4th or 5th year of the veterinary degree or in other year classes when the aquatic animal health program is taught.
Nominations should provide a brief description of the student’s background and some indication of their interests and goals in the field of aquatic animal health. Nominations are to be completed by the student and lecturer /course instructor in the aquatic animal health teaching program.
The closing date for nominations is 30 September 2014. Nominations may be emailed to Richmond Loh (thefishvet@gmail.com), Hon. Secretary, Australian & NZ College of Veterinary Scientists (Aquatic Animal Health Chapter).
The successful student (based on selection criteria in the form and voted by Chapter members) will be awarded with the 2010 edition of E.J.Noga’s -Fish Disease – diagnosis and treatment 2nd edition. This very practical text is considered one of the leading publications in the field of aquatic animal health, valued at $AUD125.
Take out the guess work, and get the right diagnosis, for the right cure.
Dr Loh is a registered veterinarian who does not guess what’s wrong with your fish. He makes home visits and examines your water quality and fishes under the microscope to establish the cause. It is only then, that you can know what medicines you can treat with.
Fish show signs of illness that are difficult to differentiate between many causes. For example, skin ulcers may be caused by trauma, bacteria, protozoa, flukes or copepods. Each causal agent warrants a different way of treating.
Don’t waste your valuable time and risk losing more and more fish, call The Fish Vet (0421 822 383) straight away.
B-1003 – WAVMA WebCEPD: Diseases of Dolphins.
Join us for afree webinar on Sep 24, 2014.
Register now! https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2690427248653135362
A free WAVMA WebCEPD webinar. This presentation will cover the pathology of select disease conditions that affect dolphins. It will discuss the multifactorial nature of disease in dolphins, the risks and predisposing factors for disease in dolphins; covering common bacterial, mycotic, viral, protozoal and metazoan diseases of dolphins and the clinical signs and gross pathological findings for them.
Speaker: Nahiid Stephens, BVMS, MANZCVS (Pathobiology), PhD Candidate.
When: Wednesday, September 24 2014 – 20:00 (Perth, Western Australia).
Click http://tinyurl.com/o8pw5dv for your local time.
NOTE: this webinar will be recorded. If you register for the live webinar and are unable to attend, you will be sent a link to view the webinar. Want CEPD credit? Registration is required. After viewing the webinar and a successfully completing a brief KSA (knowledge & skills assessment) veterinarians, veterinary students and veterinary technicians/nurses can earn up to 1.5 hrs of CEPD credit). Details will be sent to all who register.
Register now! https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2690427248653135362
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Discover more about the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association at www.WAVMA.org.
Get listed in the on-line Directory of Aquatic Veterinarians and subscribe toAquaVetMed e-News by registering at www.AquaVetMed.info.
From: “Dr. David Scarfe”
Date: 5 September 2014 2:01:33 AWST
Subject: AquaVetMed: Tufts U. Wildlife, Aquatic, Zoo and Exotic Medicine Symposium (Sept 13, 2014)
September 4, 2014
Advancements in Wildlife, Aquatic, Zoo and Exotic Medicine – Saturday, September 13th, 2014 (N. Grafton, MA, USA)
This year’s WAZE (Wildlife, Aquatics, Zoo, Exotics) symposium at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine will cover a variety of topics on developments in wildlife, aquatic, zoo and exotic medicine and husbandry. We will discuss the issues involved in keeping wildlife in captivity, explore the medical management of animal populations in the wild, and learn about the care required by exotic species kept as pets. Wetlabs will give veterinary students and veterinarians a chance to gain hands-on experience with exotic animal physical exams, exotic animal hematology, turtle shell repair, and comparative anatomy.
Topics include:
• Medical Management of Leatherback Sea Turtles
• Husbandry in Avian Health
• Beluga Whale Research
• Fish Surgery and Anesthesia
• Medical Management of Horseshoe Crabs
• Big Cats in Captivity
This symposium qualifies for 6 hours of continuing education credit. Please note whether you will be attending for credit when registering.
For more information and to register, go to http://sites.tufts.edu/wazesymposiumfall2014. Additional flyers are attached.
___________________________
AquaVetMed e-News provides information to veterinary and veterinary-allied subscribers concerning aquatic animal medicine, health, welfare, public health and seafood safety, obtained from a variety of sources (largely AquaVetMed subscribers). While provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association’s, Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Committee and are for public distribution, they do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the AVMA or the veterinary profession. See the AVMA Terms of Use (http://tinyurl.com/29h2rf) for further information.
Subscription and Contributions: Interested veterinarians and veterinary-allied professionals can subscribe, unsubscribe, or contribute pertinent news or information, by sending a message with “For AquaVetMed -” and the topic in the subject line, to dscarfe@avma.org. If e-News information is used elsewhere please acknowledge AquaVetMed as the source. Encourage individuals to subscribe rather than distribute through list serves.
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Visit our website: http://www.avma.org
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This was shared by one of my students.
What’s the meaning of this?
Looks like marines living in freshwater, perhaps hard freshwater.
I wonder what sort of physiological stress it’d put fish under.
See:
How did Tom introduce his partner, Liz, to his friends?
“Hi this is Liz, my gill friend.”
—
Yours sincerely,
Dr Richmond Loh
DipProjMgt, BSc, BVMS, MPhil (Pathology) Murdoch, MANZCVS (Aquatics& Pathobiology), CertAqV, CMAVA, NATA Signatory.
THE FISH VET, Perth, Western Australia.
Veterinary Medicine for fish.
W: http://www.thefishvet.com.au
E: thefishvet
P: +61 (0)421 822 383
Check out this interesting article-
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/
BACTERIAL PATHOGENS IN FISH
At last week’s AAPSP Workshop on Fish Pathology, Dr Judith Handlinger provided a beautiful summary of the intricacies in identifying the bacterial disease agents based on observable microscopic lesions. I loved this section of the workshop the most. Imagine that you can beat the bacteriologist to the diagnosis! But in reality, pathologists rely on multiple lines of evidence for a definitive diagnosis.
Gram negative bacteria
Aeromonas salmonicida tend to occur as multifocal dense colonies of fine Gram negative bacteria, free within blood vessels, and in the interstitium of kidney in histology. The reason for them to be so dense is because they are non-motile and quite sticky. The atypical strains also show similar pathology, but clinically less severe with lower morbidity and mortality.
In Yersinia ruckeri infection, splenic lesions may include hyperplasia of the macrophage cuffs, fibrin deposits and oedema, and some intralesional, singular, Gram negative, bacterial rods. There is also mild, multifocal, haematopoietic necrosis in the kidney.
Vibrio anguillarum causes severe septicaemia. The spleen can be enlarged and haemorrhage, ellipsoids degenerate (loss of confluent rim of macrophages) and become depleted of lymphocytes (little white pulp remains).
Vibrio harveyi causes enteritis in barramundi and extensive peritonitis. There is a special strain (Vibrio Phenon 53) where you can get the large form of the bacteria on primary cultures, and reversion to small form on subculture. This large and small form has been described in Vibrio cholera. Suspect it might be due to changes in salinity. The large form can be seen encapsulated in bunches, within host cells.
Tenacibaculum maritimum (formerly Flexibacter maritimus) starts as superficial skin erosion. Microscopically, they line up side-by-side and produce expanding waves of necrosis that precede the bacteria. Early stages of bacterial infection, you may see lymphocyte infiltration in the skin. These fish tend to fend of disease. Those that don’t, develop spongy epithelial hyperplasia, epithelial loss, necrosis. In chronic cases, floccular proteinaceous material collect in scale pockets and there is scale necrosis (see osteoclastic resorption). Where it occurs in the gills and fins, there will be exposed cartilage rays.
Flavobacterium columnare (formerly Flexibacter columnaris) infection causes deep skin necrosis, extending into the musculature. Can also get under-running of damage, with bacteria present under the epithelium. Where it occurs in the gills and fins, there will be exposed cartilage rays.
Flavobacterium branchiophilum causes bacterial gill disease, and the lesion they incite is epithelial hyperplasia instead of necrosis. The less toxic the bacteria, the more hyperplasia and secondary lamellar fusion there is. You can see fine bacterial rods on the surface. There is also a lot of mucus production. Beware not to confuse thee bacteria with mucus strands. Perhaps use a Gram stain or Giemsa stain.
Piscirickettsia causes concentric waves of infection/necrosis in the liver and so grossly, you see targetoid patterns. But typically, you see non-specific petechiation of serosa. Microscopically, you may see intracytoplasmic, Gram negative, coccobacilli in histiocytes.
Infections with Photobacterium damselae subsp. Piscicida, you can see aggregates of gram-negative coccobacilli surrounded by Splendore-Hoeppli material.
Epitheliocystis (Chlamydia) occur as dense, intracytoplasmic colonies, in the gill epithelium. It does not seem to cause pathology in the Barramundi, however, there is focal host reaction in the salmon.
Gram positive bacteria
Lactococcus garvieae (previously Enterococcus seriolicida) are Gram positive cocci. They commonly cause peri-orbital congestion, haemorrhage and oedema (hence exophthalmia/pop-eye). Hagemann strain occurs in trout. Cause enlarged ellipsoids in the spleen, reflect increased phagocytic response. On Gram stains, the bacteria are demonstrated within macrophages in splenic ellipsoid cuffs.
Streptococcus iniae you see clumps of bacteria in heart, surrounded by mixed inflammatory cells. The Gram positive cocci are also found in the brain, gills and other blood vessels.
Renibacterium salmoninarum causes bacterial gill disease. It is a Gram positive, diplobacillus, rod shaped, non-motile, non-spore forming, intracellular bacterium. It causes granulomatous interstitial nephritis with myriad intralesional bacteria.
Carnobacterium (Gram-stain-positive rods) and Vagococcus (Gram-stain-positive cocci) infection you get peritonitis. Common in salmonids, post-spawning, due to retrograde infection up the oviduct.
Acid-fast bacteria
Granulomatous responses seen in mycobacteriosis, however, in seahorses it tends to be less granulomatous, and more histiocytic.
Nocardia (Gram positive, acid-fast, filamentous organisms) also evoke a granulomatous response. The bacterial colonies can also be surrounded by Splendore-Hoeppli material.