This made the headlines last October for those who missed it.
Caught from waters near the nuclear power plant.
Blood test for fish – as part of a koi wellness program.
Few studies have utilised blood testing in fish because of a large number of complicating factors. One of the major complicating factros is that fish are “cold-blooded” animals, many of their enzymes and biological processes continue to occur even at room temperature (this is different to mammals where things tend to stabilise). So, blood samples drawn from fishes need to be analysed immediately. The article below details biochemical reference ranges for koi carp.
Abstract
March 1, 2007, Vol. 230, No. 5, Pages 708-712
doi: 10.2460/javma.230.5.708
Plasma biochemical reference intervals for koi
Brian S. Palmeiro, VMD; Karen L. Rosenthal, DVM, MS, DABVP; Gregory A. Lewbart, MS, VMD, DACZM; Frances S. Shofer, PhD
Department of Clinical Studies–Philadelphia, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Palmeiro, Rosenthal, Shofer); Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606 (Lewbart)
Supported by Abaxis Incorporated.
The authors thank Larry S. Christian for technical assistance.
Address correspondence to Dr. Palmeiro.
Objective—To assess reproducibility of an in-house tabletop biochemical analyzer for measurement of plasma biochemical analytes and establish reference intervals in adult koi.
Design—Prospective study.
Animals—71 healthy adult koi.
Procedures—Plasma was analyzed for concentrations or activities of albumin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, bile acids, BUN, calcium, cholesterol, creatine kinase, γ-glutamyltransferase, globulin, glucose, K, Na, P, total bilirubin, total protein, and uric acid. Duplicate samples were evaluated by use of the intraclass correlation coefficient to determine reproducibility. To assess the magnitude of differences between replicate samples, the absolute mean difference, SD, and minimum and maximum values were calculated for each analyte. Median values and reference intervals were calculated.
Results—Intraclass correlation coefficient values were excellent for all analytes except alanine aminotransferase (good), Na (poor), γ-glutamyltransferase (poor), and P (poor). Reference intervals were established.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—The in-house tabletop biochemical analyzer had good precision for measuring most plasma biochemical analytes. Further research and comparison with other reference procedures are needed before reference intervals and precision can be established for globulin, Na, P, K, and albumin. Aquatic veterinarians may be able to use the reference intervals for adult koi as an important diagnostic tool or as part of a fish wellness program, as commonly done in other domestic species.
Crocodiles on the loose!
From today’s West Australian.
Gladstone Harbour deaths still unexplained.
Antibiotic treatment options for ornamental fish
I often received calls from clients wanting antibiotics because they’ve tried treating their fish with everything was available at their local fish shop, but to no avail. The following paragraphs are excerpts from ‘Lewbart G, Bacteria and ornamental fish. Original Research Article, Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine, Volume 10, Issue 1, January 2001, Pages 48-56.’ My comments are italicised and in brackets. It is a great explanation for the difficulties pet fish owners and fish veterinarians face when dealing with bacterial infections in fish.
“In the United States it is against Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) regulations for pet stores to sell and prescribe medication for fish and in most states it is illegal for non-veterinarians to make a diagnosis and institute therapy. However, these laws are rarely enforced because most regulatory efforts focus on keeping drug residues out of the human food supply. [Much of this is relevant in Australia. The Australian equivalent of the FDA is the APVMA.]
Two interesting studies examined the problem of over the counter medications and resistance of bacterial pathogens to a wide variety of antimicrobials. The investigators found that the manufacturer’s recommended dosing regimens were grossly inadequate to control pathogens and that aquarium water frequently contains bacteria resistant to one or more antibiotic agents. For example Citrobacter freundii (218 strains) were 100% resistant to penicillin, 99% resistant to tetracycline, 74% resistant to sulphonamide, 56% resistant to kanamycin, 47% resistant to chloramphenicol and 24% resistant to nitrofurantoin. In another more recent study, 42 isolates of Aeromonas hydrophila and A. sobria were tested against 12 antimicrobial compounds. All of the isolates were resistant to ampicilin and over 70% were resistant to tetracycline. In this report, all of the isolates were sensitive to ceftiofur. [I have also found similar results in practice]
Antibiotics commonly used by veterinarians in the US to treat bacterial diseases of ornamental fish include amikacin, enrofloxacin, ceftazidime, florfenicol, nitrofurazone, tetracycline and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.” [Note that veterinarians are only allowed to prescribe medication to a patient under their care. (i.e. they must have seen the patient at least once that year)]
Excerpt from: Bacteria and ornamental fish Original Research Article
Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine, Volume 10, Issue 1, January 2001, Pages 48-56
Gregory A. Lewbart
Raising money to save the river
From today’s West Australian.
Seen the AMAZING Coke on Pork Experiment?
That’s definitely a myth.
But check out what worms may be in fish meat!
Fishborne zoonotic parasites and aquaculture: A review
Carlos A.M. Lima dos Santos, Peter Howgate
Abstract
A large number of parasites infect fish but only a few cause illnesses in humans. Due to their high incidence the following helminth families deserve particular attention:Opisthorchiidae and Heterophyidae (Class Trematodea, subclass Digenea), Anisakidae and Gnathostomidae (Phylum Nematoda), and Diphyllobothridae (ClassCestoda). Humans acquire these fishborne parasitic zoonoses through the consumption of infected raw, undercooked, or inadequately preserved fish. Though the transmission of these parasites through fish caught in the wild has been well documented, the association between cultured fish and human parasitic illness has for long been neglected and it is only recently, during the last 10–15 years, that this association has gained increased consideration. This review summarizes and considers this recent evidence linking fish farming to human pathogenic parasites, and discusses the need and opportunities for prevention and control of these zoonoses.
Keywords: Fishborne parasitic diseases; Aquaculture; Fish zoonotic parasites; Fish farming; HACCP
Full article – http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0044848611004510
The Most Influential International Trade Show in Asia-Pacific Region – China International Pet Show 2011.
Check out Pet Industry News’ write up here: PIN21_4_low_res 22
Next year, the annual event will be held in Beijing in Nov. 1-4, 2012.
All related information about the show and industry are available at www.cipscom.com.
What can you feed an octopus??
It’s tough enough trying to keep octopi from wandering, it’s even harder to formulate a balanced diet for these critters!
The next time you order seafood chowder, you may want to consider seafood bogue pancake to go with it!
| Aquaculture | |||||||||||||||||
| Volume 323, Number 1 (December 2011) | |||||||||||||||||
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Growth, protein retention and biochemical composition in Octopus vulgaris fed on different diets based on crustaceans and aquaculture by-products | ||||||||||||||||
| Authors: | J. Estefanell, J. Socorro, F. Tuya, M. Izquierdo, J. Roo | ||||||||||||||||
| Author Affiliations: |
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| Source: | Aquaculture, Volume 323, Number 1 (December 2011) | ||||||||||||||||
| Page Numbers: | 91 – 98 | ||||||||||||||||
| Available Full Text: |
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| Abstract: | The octopus, Octopus vulgaris, is one of the main targets for aquaculture diversification in Mediterranean countries. However, the development of octopus farming is limited by the lack of information regarding nutritional requirements of this species during its life cycle. In this study, five diets were tested on the biological performance (growth, protein retention and biochemical composition) of individually reared octopuses (n=8 per diet), including three single diets constituted by: an endemic crab (the white crab, Plagusia depressa), a commercial crab imported frozen (the blue crab, Portunus pelagicus), and bogue (Boops boops) discarded from fish farms (aquaculture by-product), as well as two mixed diets, containing a 60–40% of blue crab-bogue and white crab-bogue, respectively. The rearing period lasted 8weeks. Octopuses that fed on a mixed diet constituted by blue crab-bogue showed a higher growth than those feeding on bogue as a single food item. No significant differences in growth were observed among individuals feeding on single food items. Highest protein retention was observed in octopuses fed on diets containing discarded bogue, associated with a high lipid and monoenes content in this food item, underlying the use of lipid as energy source in O. vulgaris. However, discarded bogue was deficient in ARA in comparison with octopus tissues, which did not seem to affect growth during the experimental period. These findings underline the potential of aquaculture by-products, particularly bogue, as an adequate diet for culturing O. vulgaris. | ||||||||||||||||
| Citation: | J. Estefanell, J. Socorro, F. Tuya, M. Izquierdo, J. Roo . Growth, protein retention and biochemical composition in Octopus vulgarisfed on different diets based on crustaceans and aquaculture by-products. Aquaculture, Volume 323, Number 1 (December 2011), pp. 91-98, | ||||||||||||||||
| URL: | http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=4965B77A96C8B2053326 | ||||||||||||||||
Taming a flying shark!
What do you get a fish vet for Christmas?
Sounds like a dolphin and moves like a drunk snail! But heaps of fun nonetheless.
$50 helium gas bottle from Spotlight or Big W.
Remote control fish available from Boronia Aquarium’s online store.
http://www.boroniaaquarium.com.au/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=air
