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Use of Antibiotics in Ornamental Fish Aquaculture
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  • The aminoglycosides, including gentamicin, neomycin, kanamycin, and amikacin, are very effective against gram-negative bacteria infections when administered by injection. Unfortunately, this group has also been shown to cause kidney damage in fish when administered by this technique.

    As a group, these antibiotics are not considered effective when used in oral or bath treatments. A couple of exceptions may be kanamycin and neomycin, both of which may be effective against external infections if used in bath treatments. In addition, kanamycin is also believed (Gilmartin, Camp and Lewis, 1976) to be effective when mixed with feed to treat gastrointestinal bacterial infections.

    None of the aminoglycosides are approved by the FDA for use with food fish.

  • The quinolones, including nalidixic acid and oxolinic acid, like the tetracyclines, are considered broad-spectrum antibiotics, and they work against a wide variety of bacteria. These antibiotics work best at acidic pHs of 6.9 or less, and they are inhibited by hard water. Although they appear to work well in both bath and oral treatments, some fish may sink to the bottom and appear lethargic after bath treatments.

    These antibiotics have been shown to damage the nervous system of other animals and none are approved by the FDA for use with fish. Quinolones are closely related to a category of antibacterials known as 'fluoroquinolones,' which are categorized as 'of high regulatory concern' by the FDA. Use of fluoroquinolones or quinolones with any food animal is illegal and completely irresponsible.

  • The nitrofurans, including nitrofurantoin, nitrofurazone, furanace, and furazolidone, are commonly used in the ornamental fish trade, but the FDA strictly forbids their use by producers of food fish. Nitrofurazone is specifically categorized as 'of high regulatory concern' by the FDA and should not be present on any facility where food species are raised.

    Although nitrofurans are commonly used in bath treatments, they are probably most effective against superficial infections and, in at least one study (Colorni and Paperna, 1983), nitrofurazone was not readily absorbed into the body of either gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) or tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) in experimental trials. Within the group, furanace appears to be the most effective for use in bath treatments.

    To achieve the most effective result when using a nitrofuran in a bath treatment, either some sort of cover or the treatment location should be considered, as the nitrofurans can be inactivated by light. Nitrofurans as oral treatments may not be as effective as previously believed, although the proper pharmacokinetic research needs to be performed to verify this conclusion.

  • The sulfa drugs, including Romet®, are also considered to be broad-spectrum antibiotics. There are many different types of sulfa drugs. The more common sulfas are not as effective as they once were, due to their misuse resulting in the creation of many bacteria that are now resistant to them. On the other hand, the potentiated sulfas, including Romet®, are still very effective.

  • Romet® works well when mixed with feed, but does not work well as a bath treatment and is FDA-approved for use with channel catfish and salmonids.

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