Advanced Search

Library > Diseases and Medications > General Information > Pentastomid Infections in Fish
		Pentastomid Infections in Fish
		Page 3 of 3	Pages: 1 . 2 . 3
		Prevention Primary prevention of pentastomid infections in fish requires control of the final hosts: aquatic turtles, water snakes, and alligators. Fish in ponds with any of these predators may be susceptible to pentastomid infections. Predator control should be standard practice in an aquaculture facility. Prolonged exposure to infected reptiles will increase nymph loads in susceptible fish by increasing the number of infective larvae in the ponds. This number will increase with time. Consequently, farms that have aquatic reptiles and do not regularly clean ( muck/pump down, rinse, and lime) and restock their ponds will be at greater risk of infection. Discussion Fish with whitish bumps or raised areas that contain parasites that resemble grubs should be examined by a fish health specialist for proper identification of the parasite. Some species of fish have significant disease from pentastomid infections that can contribute to morbidity or mortality. Other species of fish suffer no ill effects and may show no grossly visible signs of disease at all. Several different parasites or other diseases may cause a similar appearance on the fish, so an important first step is positive identification of the problem. If pentastomes are determined as the cause, turtle, alligator, and water snake populations within the affected ponds or farm should be controlled and ponds cleaned and restocked. There are no known methods for chemical removal of pentastome parasites from infected fish, which consequently must be culled. References: Boyce, W.M., Kazacos, E.A., Kazacos, K.R. and Engelhardt, J.A. 1987. Pathology of Pentastomid Infections (Sebekia mississippiensis) in Fish. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 23(4): 689-692. -------------------------------------------------------- Footnotes 1. This document is Fact Sheet FA-90, one of a series from the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Services, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. First published: March 2002. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu. 2. Roy P.E. Yanong, Assistant Professor, Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Ruskin, FL 33570-3434. -------------------------------------------------------- The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. For information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office. Florida Cooperative Extension Service / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences / University of Florida / Christine Taylor Waddill, Dean -------------------------------------------------------- Copyright Information This document is copyrighted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) for the people of the State of Florida. UF/IFAS retains all rights under all conventions, but permits free reproduction by all agents and offices of the Cooperative Extension Service and the people of the State of Florida. Permission is granted to others to use these materials in part or in full for educational purposes, provided that full credit is given to the UF/IFAS, citing the publication, its source, and date of publication. SimplyDiscus.com gratefully thanks the Florida Cooperative Extension Service for permission to use this article. Please visit them at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/

	About Us :: Message Board :: Chat
	Library :: Photo Gallery :: Links & Resources :: Breeders & Sponsors :: Merchandise
	Website designed by: EthanCote.com		© 2001-2004, SimplyDiscus.com. All Rights Reserved.