Discovery Nature • RESEARCH • Aquaculture

Roy et al. Professional treatments of some commonly occurring diseases in freshwater fin fishes in India, Discovery Nature, 2013, 5(12), 7-11, www.discovery.org.in http://www.discovery.org.in/dn.htm © 2013 Discovery Publication. All Rights Reserved

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Roy K1☼, Chari MS2

1. Postgraduate scholar in Aquaculture, Department of Fisheries, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya. Raipur 492012, Chhattisgarh, India. Mail: koushik.roy.89@gmail.com

2. Professor. Department of Fisheries, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya. Raipur 492012, Chhattisgarh, India ☼Corresponding author: Postgraduate scholar in Aquaculture, Department of Fisheries, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur 492012, Chhattisgarh, India. Mail: koushik.roy.89@gmail.com Received 18 July; accepted 12 September; published online 01 October; printed 16 October 2013

ABSTRACT India produces more than 8 million tones of fish each year, out of which 51% comes from Aquaculture i.e.- culture of fishes and prawns in ponds, tanks, reservoir and lakes. The most critical factor that is creating obstructions in the growth of Indian aquaculture sector is frequent occurrence of disease. The following article enlists the traditional, contemporary and recent advancements in professional fish disease management in terms of the therapeutic packages available for commonly occurring freshwater fin fish diseases in the region. Keywords: Freshwater fin fishes, Diseases, Parasite, Helminthes, Protozoa, Fungus, Bacteria, Therapeutic measures. Abbreviation: ha- Hectare; ppm- parts per million (mg/lit); sec- Seconds; mins- Minutes; hr- Hour; gm – Grams; mg- milligrams; FFDA- Fish Farmers’ Development Agencies; KVK- Krishi Vigyan Kendra. To Cite This Article Roy K, Chari MS. Professional treatments of some commonly occurring diseases in freshwater fin fishes in India. Discovery Nature, 2013, 5(12), 7-11

1. INTRODUCTION India produces more than 8 million tones of fish each year, out of which 50% comes from Freshwater Aquaculture i.e.- culture of freshwater fishes and prawns in ponds, tanks, reservoir and lakes (ICAR, 2011). Intensification of aquaculture practices target high yields from limited area has lead to the deterioration of the balance between host, pathogen and aquatic environment. Such practices lead to an increase in the incidence of various viral, bacterial, fungal and other parasitic diseases (Rao, 2011). It is a well known fact that pathogens are opportunistic, and when they get an opportunity they attack the fishes giving rise to their symptoms and cause mortality of affected fishes (Razvi, 2011). In general, like all other animals fishes are also protected from parasites and pathogens by its natural defensive mechanism (Das, 1997). However, the demand for maximum yield from unit area, forced the farmers to load huge quantities of feed & fertilizer into the aquatic system. This has lead to the pollution of the water body (Babu, 2012). Under such situations, the pathogen finds its opportunity and establishes itself on the host (Das, 1997). If

the environment further deteriorates, sudden outbreak of a disease may arise. However, the parasitic diseases are more frequently encountered in fishes than the microbial diseases under unfavourable culture conditions i.e.- high organic load, overcrowding, temperature, etc (Babu, 2012).

2. SCOPE OF THE STUDY The main objective behind this study is to create a condensed yet practical, layman’s rescue guide cum knowledge bank about the most commonly occurring diseases in freshwater fin fishes with respect to their treatment options available in hand. This article might prove helpful to aquaculture students, experts, researchers, fisher-folk and fisheries entrepreneurs as some commonly given/ available therapeutic treatment of some diseases are enlisted, from the information/data surveyed within a tropical country like India.

2.1. Materials and Methods Information regarding the commonly occurring diseases and their therapeutic packages were collected by surveying some progressive fish farmers of Andhra Pradesh and West

Bengal (Anon 2012a; Anon 2012b). Data and information were collected and compiled from technical manuals published by FFDAs and government research stations (Babu & Rao, 2012; Das &

Traditional treatment(s) Professional treatment(s) Effective for small scale fish culture operations. Commonly available in the form of indigenous knowledge existing within the farming communities. These are not sufficient in situations of serious disease outbreaks. Moreover efficiency is quite variable and low as the dosage is determined superficially.

Effective for commercial fish culture operations. Commonly developed after research and experimental trial by research communities. These are aimed to act sufficient in situations of serious disease outbreaks. Moreover efficiency is quite stable and high when applied according to a prescribed dose.

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Topical treatment: Treatment given directly at the place of the infection by rubbing or swabbing the therapeutants over the infected part.

Discovery Nature • RESEARCH • Aquaculture

Roy et al. Professional treatments of some commonly occurring diseases in freshwater fin fishes in India, Discovery Nature, 2013, 5(12), 7-11, www.discovery.org.in http://www.discovery.org.in/dn.htm © 2013 Discovery Publication. All Rights Reserved

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Das, 1997; Chakrabarti, 1994). Some state fisheries extension officers of West Bengal and subject matter specialists of KVKs were consulted for the treatment packages available for freshwater fin fishes (Anon, 2012; Anon, 2013). Information was also gathered from some published articles (Paniprasad, 2005; Ramakrishna, 2013). Lastly, some standard literature was referred (ICAR, 2011; Woo, 2006; Heuer et. al., 2009; Francis-floyd, 1996; Lazur,

1996; Watson, 1996). The following article enlists the traditional, contemporary and recent advancements in professional fish disease management in India.

3. RESULTS Some of the most commonly occurring freshwater fin fish diseases are discussed below with respect to their

Table 1 Parasitic Diseases S.No. Disease Treatments Available

1. Argulosis (Fish lice disease)

i. Dip treatment with 3-5% NaCl for 5-10 secs.* ii. Dip treatment with 100ppm KMnO4 for 5-10 secs. iii. Dip treatment with 2000ppm Lysol for 5-10 secs. i. Pond treatment with Deltamethrin (1.25-2.8% Solution) @125-250ml per ha-meter. ii. Pond treatment with Dichlorovos (75% Solution) @1.25 litres per ha-meter. iii. Pond treatment with KMnO4 @5ppm. iv. Pond treatment with Malathion @0.25ppm. 3-4 applications required, giving one week interval between subsequent

applications.*

2. Ergasilosis

(Gill copepod disease)

i. Bath treatment with 2-3% NaCl for 20-30 mins. ii. Bath treatment with 1:1000 glacial acetic acid for 5 mins followed by 1 hr bath in 1% NaCl.* i. Pond treatment same as in Argulosis (see above). ii. Apply Malathion to the pond @0.2ppm.*

3. Lernaeosis (Anchor worm)

i. Bath treatment same as in Ergasilosis (see above). i. Pond treatment same as in Argulosis (see above). ii. Apply Dipterex/ Dylox/ Chlorophos @0.25-0.5ppm. iii. Apply Malathion @0.25ppm (each dose). 3-4 doses are required. One week interval is to be given between subsequent

applications.* * Best treatment

Table 2 Helminth Diseases S.No. Disease Treatments Available

1. Dactylogyrosis (Gill fluke disease)

i. Bath treatment with NaCl @3-5% for 10-15 mins. ii. Bath treatment with Formalin @100ppm for 10-15 mins, with aeration. i. Pond treatment with 4-5ppm KMnO4 ii. Pond treatment with 25ppm Formalin. Aeration required iii. Pond treatment with Deltamethrin (1.25-2.8% solution) @125-250 ml per ha-meter, mixed with sand.* iv. Pond treatment with Dichlorovos (76% solution) @ 500ml per acre-metre.* v. Apply Malathion @0.25ppm (each dose). 3-4 doses required. One week interval is to be given between subsequent

applications. vi. Drying or liming @200 kg per ha. i. Oral therapy with Albendazole @100-150gm per 1000kg feed, for 5 days.

2. Gyrodactylosis (Skin fluke disease)

i. Bath treatment same as in Dactylogyrosis (see above). ii. Alternate bath treatment with 1:2000 acetic acid solution and 2% NaCl solution for 5 mins each.* iii. Trichlorophon bath @5ppm for 30 mins. iv. Bath treatment with Tetramine CuSO4 @0.3ppm for 30 mins. i. Pond treatment with Deltamethrin (1.25-2.8% solution) @125-250 ml per ha-meter, mixed with sand. Once in 18-20 days.

2-3 doses maybe required.* i. Oral therapy same as in Dactylogyrosis (see above).

3. Black Spot disease (Diplostomiasis)

i. Removal of snails or mollusks from the pond. ii. Installation of scare-birds and net cover over the pond to prevent piscivorous birds. iii. Pond treatment with Trichlorophon @ 0.15ppm.* iv. Pond treatment with 10ppm Formalin. Aeration required. i. Oral treatment with Di-en-butyl-tin oxide @3% in feed, for 3-5 days.*

4. Ligulosis (Intestinal tape worm disease)

i. Pond management and treatment same as in Diplostomiasis (see above). ii. Drying up of pond followed by lime @200kg per ha. i. Oral treatment with Di-en-butyl-tin oxide @25gm per 100kg of fish for 3-5 days, mixed in feed.*

5. Yellow Grub disease (Clinostomiasis)

i. Isolate the infected fish. i. Pond treatment same as in Ligulosis (see above). i. Oral treatment with Di-en-butyl-tin oxide @3% in feed, for 5-7 days.

6. Acanthocephalosis (Intestinal hook worm disease)

i. Pond treatment same as in Ligulosis (see above). i. Oral treatment with Di-en-butyl-tin oxide @3.5mg per kg of fish for 4-5 days, mixed in feed.* ii. Oral treatment with Bithionol @2% per kg of fish feed, for 4-5 days.*

* Best treatment

Table 3 Annelid Disease S.No. Disease Treatments Available

1. Hirudineasis (Leech disease)

i. Bath treatment with 0.5ppm CuSO4 for 5-6 hrs. ii. Bath treatment in 25ppm NaCl for 1 hr.* i. Application of quicklime @200-250 kg per ha of pond. ii. Pond application of Malathion @0.2-0.5ppm.*

*Best treatment

Oral treatment: Treatment given through the oral pathway by mixing the required amount of therapeutants with the supplementary feed.

Discovery Nature • RESEARCH • Aquaculture

Roy et al. Professional treatments of some commonly occurring diseases in freshwater fin fishes in India, Discovery Nature, 2013, 5(12), 7-11, www.discovery.org.in http://www.discovery.org.in/dn.htm © 2013 Discovery Publication. All Rights Reserved

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prophylactic or therapeutic packages available (Table 1 to Table 6).

4. DISCUSSIONS While giving a Formalin bath or pond treatment, aeration is necessary. The upper dose limit for a formalin bath treatment is 250ppm in cold climate and 175ppm in warm climate. Infected fish should not be exposed to formalin for more than 1 hr. The dose of formalin should be reduced at higher temperatures. There is a very thin line between effectiveness and toxicity of Copper sulphate (CuSO4) used for treatment purposes in aquaculture. In order to avoid toxicity, dose of CuSO4 (in ppm or mg/lit) should be calculated by dividing the total alkalinity values of pond water with 100 (CuSO4 reqd. in ppm= Total alkalinity of pond water/100). Dose of Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) for pond treatment should depend on the amount of organic load present in water. Higher amount of KMnO4 will be required if the organic load in pond is high. For determining the amount of KMnO4 to be added in pond, a demand test should be performed. Take 1 lit of pond water, add 2ppm KMnO4 and make sure that the purple color persists for 3 hours, if it does not persist then add KMnO4 at an incremental dose of 2ppm each time until the color persists. Once the color persists that is the dose for treating the pond water. Indiscriminate use of Antibiotics in aquaculture for prophylactic purposes should be strictly discouraged, as

resistant strains of bacteria may develop which will pose greater threat in future. It should be used only as a therapeutic measure.

Most of the Parasiticides are volatile in nature and they are lighter than water. So it is recommended that they should be mixed with sand and sprinkled into the water such that the parasiticide gets uniformly dispersed in the water column along with the sand particles. The ratio of dosage of a selected parasiticide: its toxicity (to fishes) should be 1:3 or 1:4. Lime (as CaCO3) can be used as a first line of defense at farmers’ level for almost any disease. Lime has anti-microbial and parasiticidal properties. It also improves water quality of pond by enhancing pH and the process of mineralization of organic matter in pond. In general, lime can be applied in pond as both prophylactic and therapeutic measure @200-250 kg per ha. During the bath treatment of fishes it should be remembered that once the fishes become listless, they should be immediately transferred to fresh water with aeration.

5. CONCLUSION Being a fisheries scholar and an experienced field worker, I surveyed about the treatments being given for particular diseases from diverse sources (mentioned in materials and method) and compiled the appropriate available information into this article. No doubt that these diseases also occurs elsewhere in the world and the nature of therapeutic

Table 5 Protozoan Diseases S.No. Disease Treatments Available

1. Ichthyophthiriasis (White spot disease)

i. Bath treatment with 2% NaCl solution for 1 hr daily. ii. Bath treatment with 150ppm Formalin for 30 min at every 3 days interval, with aeration.* iii. Prolonged bath treatment with 1 ml Methylene blue (1% concentration) in 5 liters of water; repeat in every 2

days. iv. Bath treatment with Acridine orange @20ppm at 4 days interval. i. Pond treatment with CuSO4 @0.5ppm, once a week. ii. Pond treatment with Malachite green @0.1-0.25ppm, repeat the dose after 3 days. iii. Pond treatment with 15ppm Formalin + 0.1ppm Malachite green. 3 doses are required at 3 days interval. Lime

should be applied after this treatment @250 kg per ha.* i. Oral treatment with Salynomycin (12%) in feed @2 kg per 1000 kg feed, for 1 week. ii. Oral treatment with NaCl @10-20 kg per 1000 kg feed.

2. Trichodiniasis (Yellow gill slime disease)

i. Bath treatment with 2-3% Nacl, for 30 mins. ii. Bath treatment with 100ppm Formalin, for 30 mins with aeration. i. Pond treatment with 4-5ppm KMnO4. ii. Pond treatment with 25ppm Formalin.* iii. Pond treatment with 0.25-0.5ppm CuSO4. iv. Pond treatment with NaCl @70-100 kg per acre-m + A perforated bag (containing 2-3 kg salt per 100 kg feed)

should be fitted above the feed bag or tray.* i. Oral treatment same as in Ichthyophthiriasis (see above).

3. Myxosporiadiasis (White cyst disease) Treatments same as in Trichodiniasis (see above).

4. Ichthyobodiasis or costiasis (Slime patch disease) Treatments same as in Trichodiniasis (see above).

5. Microsporidiasis (Grayish white tumour disease) Treatments same as in Trichodiniasis (see above).

6. Chilodonelliasis (Bluish green mucus disease) Treatments same as in Trichodiniasis (see above).

* Best treatment

Table 4 Fungal Diseases S.No. Disease Treatments Available

1. Saprolegniasis (Cotton wool disease)

i. Bath treatment in NaCl solution (3-4%) for 15-30 mins, daily for 3-4 days. ii. Bath treatment in 1:2000 CuSO4 solution for 15 mins, daily for 3-4 days. iii. Bath treatment 1:1000 Malachite green solution for 30 sec.* iv. Dip treatment in Malachite green solution @0.15ppm (each dose). 3 doses are required. An interval of 3 days is to be given

between subsequent applications.* i. Pond treatment with Malachite green @1.5 kg per ha-meter, two times, at 10 days interval (with aeration).* i. Topical treatment- swab the affected area with 100ppm Potassium dichromate for one week.

2. Branchiomycosis (Gill rot)

i. Dip treatment with NaCl @5% for 1 min. ii. Bath treatment with KMnO4 @5ppm for 5-10 mins. iii. Dip treatment in 1:2000 CuSO4 solution for 1 mins. i. Pond treatment same as in Saprolegniasis (see above). ii. Pond treatment with CuSO4 @1ppm. iii. Flush treatment in pond with Benzalkonium chloride @1-4ppm for 1 hr.

*Best treatment

Bath treatment: Treatment by keeping the diseased or infected fish immersed in a therapeutants solution of a prescribed concentration, for a short (less than 30 mins) or long (more than 1 hour) period of time.

Pond treatment: Treatment given to the fishes in a pond or any water body by mixing or applying the therapeutants into the pond water as per the desired concentration.

Dip treatment: Treatment by dipping a diseased or infected fish in a therapeutants solution of a prescribed concentration, for a very short time (less than 30 seconds).

Discovery Nature • RESEARCH • Aquaculture

Roy et al. Professional treatments of some commonly occurring diseases in freshwater fin fishes in India, Discovery Nature, 2013, 5(12), 7-11, www.discovery.org.in http://www.discovery.org.in/dn.htm © 2013 Discovery Publication. All Rights Reserved

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treatments given in such cases might vary. But with the help of this kind of an article we can know what types of treatment is being given for what disease, within a country.

Moreover it will also create a sense of alertness among various stakeholders of fisheries sector.

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH 1. The basic disease treatment(s) given to freshwater fishes in India include- bath, dip, topical, pond and oral treatment. 2. There is a wide range of therapeutants available for treating a particular disease. But only few of them which are easily available, cheap and locally

known are conventionally used by fish farmers. 3. With the intensification of aquaculture practices in India, more serious diseases are occurring frequently with a higher degree of implications. In order to

tackle such large amount of losses in a short period of time, recent or advanced therapeutic (treatment) packages are needed for adoption. 4. Better disease management practices can only be implemented by disseminating the technical knowledge from lab to land and also by exchanging

information between research and farming communities. FUTURE ISSUES In a broad sense, these types of simple looking yet powerful articles should be published from time to time just in order to exchange or disseminate the knowledge between all the experts and stakeholders of our fisheries sector. DISCLOSURE STATEMENT There was no financial support for this research work from any funding agency. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I wish to express my indebtedness to Prof. Dr. M.S. Chari, Department of fisheries, I.G.K.V. for inoculating the idea of this study along with his precious guidance and encouragement. REFERENCE

1. Anon. Personal communication, state department of fisheries on Nov-2012. West Bengal, India, 2012

2. Anon. Personal communication, private fish farms on Sept-2012. Andhra Pradesh, India, 2012a

3. Anon. Personal communication, private fish farms on Oct-2012. West Bengal, India, 2012b

4. Anon. Personal communication, fisheries Subject Matter Specialists (SMS) at KVKs on Feb-2013. Chhattisgarh, India, 2013

5. Babu PPS, Rao PS. Common parasitic diseases of cultivable fishes. In: Training manual on disease diagnosis, prevention and control measures in aquaculture. CIFE Kakinada publication, Andhra Pradesh, India, 2013, 23-30

6. Chakrabarti NM. Diseases of cultivable freshwater fishes and their control. International books and periodicals supply service, 1994, Delhi, India

7. Das KM, Das RK. Fish and prawn diseases in India – Diagnosis and control. Inland Fisheries Society of India publication, 1997, Barrackpore, India

Table 6 Bacterial Diseases S.No. Disease Treatments Available

1. Fin and Tail rot

i. Bath treatment with 1:2000 CuSO4 for 1-2 mins. ii. Bath treatment with 1-2ppm Benzalkonium chloride for 1 hr. iii. Bath treatment with 10-15ppm Terramycin for 1 hr.* iv. Bath treatment with 60ppm Chloramphenicol for 6 days. i. Pond treatment with Benzalkonium chloride or Bromine or Iodine @0.5-1 liter per acre-meter of water. 2 doses are

required at 10 days gap.* ii. Pond treatment with 5ppm KMnO4 + 250 kg Lime per ha. i. Oral treatment with 5-8 gm Oxytetracycline per 100 kg of fish per day for 10 days, mixed in food. i. Topical treatment by swabbing the wound with diluted (1:10) tincture iodine.

2. Dropsy i. Pond treatment same as in Fin and Tail rot (see above) i. Oral treatment with Terramycin @10-15gm per 100 kg fish per day for 10 days, mixed in food. ii. Oral treatment with Doxycycline @8-10gm per 100 kg fish per day for 7-10 days, mixed in food.*

3. Columnaris (Bacterial gill rot/ Saddle back disease)

i. Bath treatment with KMnO4 @5ppm, for 2-5 mins. ii. Bath treatment with Chloramphenicol @5-10ppm, for 1 hr. iii. Bath treatment with Oxytetracycline @10-20ppm, for 1 hr. i. Pond treatment same as in Dropsy (see above) i. Oral treatment with Sulphadizene or Sulphamithoxizol or Trimethoprim @8-10 gm per 100 kg fish per day, for 7-10

days.* ii. Oral treatment with Oxytetracycline @5-8 gm per 100 kg fish per day, for 7 days.

4. Eye disease (Liquefaction of eye)

i. Bath treatment with Chloromycetin @8-10ppm, for 30 min daily.* i. Pond treatment same as in Dropsy (see above)

5. Bacterial Hemorrhagic Septicemia (Ulcer)

i. Bath treatment same as in Columnaris (see above) i. Pond treatment same as in Dropsy (see above) i. Oral treatment with Oxytetracycline @5-8 gm per 100 kg fish per day for 10-15 days.*

6. Furunculosis (Blood filled blisters)

i. Oral treatment with Sulfanimides @20 gm per 100 kg fish per day for 10 days. ii. Oral treatment with Furazolidine @10 gm per 100 kg fish per day for 10 days.*

7. Enteric Septicemia of Catfish (Edwardsiellosis)

i. Oral treatment with Sulfanimides @20 gm per 100 kg fish per day for 10 days.* ii. Oral treatment with Oxytetracycline @5-8 gm per 100 kg fish per day, for 7 days.

8. Carp Erythrodermatitis (Red color disease)

i. Pond treatment same as in Dropsy (see above) i. Oral treatment with Doxycycline or Oxytetracycline @8-10 gm per 100 kg fish per day, for 7-10 days.*

9. Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome (Fish epidemic)

i. Pond treatment with CIFAX (patented) @1 liter per hectare per meter depth in combination with - Oral treatment, i.e- Doxycycline or Oxytetracycline @8-10 gm per 100 kg fish per day.*

* Best treatment

Discovery Nature • RESEARCH • Aquaculture

Roy et al. Professional treatments of some commonly occurring diseases in freshwater fin fishes in India, Discovery Nature, 2013, 5(12), 7-11, www.discovery.org.in http://www.discovery.org.in/dn.htm © 2013 Discovery Publication. All Rights Reserved

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8. Francis-Floyd R. Use of Formalin to Control Fish Parasites. In: Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) cooperative extension manual no. VM-1977. IFAS publication, 1996, University of Florida

9. Heuer OE, Kruse H, Grave K, Collignon P, Karunasagar I, Angulo FJ. Human Health Consequences of Use of Antimicrobial Agents in Aquaculture. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2009, 49, 1248-1253

10. ICAR. Handbook of fisheries and aquaculture. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) publication, New Delhi, 2011, pp 769-778

11. Lazur AM. The Use of Potassium Permanganate in Fish Ponds. In: Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) cooperative extension manual no. FA-23. IFAS publication, 1996, University of Florida

12. Paniprasad K. Antibiotics in aquaculture. Online-services available at http://www.cife.edu.in, CIFE Mumbai, 2005, India

13. Ramakrishna R. Parasitic diseases of pond farmed IMC and their control. Fishing chimes, 2013, 26(2), 34-36

14. Rao PS, Razvi SSH. Microbial diseases of cultivable freshwater fishes. In: Training manual on disease diagnosis, prevention and control measures in aquaculture, CIFE Kakinada publication, Andhra Pradesh, 2011, 17-21

15. Watson C. Use of Copper in Aquaculture and Farm Ponds. In: Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) cooperative extension manual no. FA-13. IFAS publication, 1996, University of Florida

16. Woo PTK. Fish diseases and disorders (volume I and II). 2nd edition. CABI publishing, 2006, Oxfordshire, U.K.