1. The document discusses various microbial diseases that can infect fish, including bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases. 2. Common bacterial diseases described are tuberculosis, cotton mouth disease, columnaris, dropsy, and furunculosis. Viral diseases mentioned are VHS, IPN, and spring viremia of carp. 3. Fungal infections are also a major problem for fish and can affect both external and internal tissues if conditions allow for disease spread.

1. Presented by Bushra Mushtaq, Ishrat Farooq and Shugufta parveen
(Enrollment No.s: -18060119017 ,18060119018, 18060119015
Batch: 2019
Supervisor: Dr Bashir Ahmad Lone
Department of Bioresources
Universityof Kashmir
Project Title : Microbial Diseases in Fishes
Department of Bioresources
School of Biological Sciences
University of Kashmir

2. Bacteria
 Bacteria are unicellular or single celled microscopic
organisms.
 Their cell membrane is made up of cellulose and
chitin.
 Bacteria are Gram positive or Gram negative.
 Bacterial cell walls are thick and thin .
 They lack nuclei and other organized cell
structure.
Some of the bacteria are pigmented.

3. Bacterial Disease in fish
Fish are susceptible to a wide variety of bacterial
pathogens.
Many of these bacteria are capable of causing disease
They are considered to be saprophytic in nature .
 These bacteria become pathogenic only when fishes are
nutritionally deficient or there are other stress factors
which include poor water quality ,overstocking which
allow opportunistic bacterial infections to proceed.

4. Various Possibilities of Bacterial diseases
 1. Poor quality of water.
 2. Poor hygiene.
 3. Fish that are injured have other diseases.
 4. Dead fish/large amounts of decomposing organic
material in the pond.

5. List of Bacterial Diseases which occur in Fishes
 Bacterial diseases are usually characterized by red
streaks or spots and/or swelling of the abdomen or eye.
1.Fish Tuberculosis
2.Cotton mouth disease
3.Columnaris
4.Dropsy
5.Furunculosis

6. 1.FishTuberculosis
 Caused by: Mycobacterium tuberculosis,
Mycobacterium piscium
 Symptoms in fish: Ulcers on body, nodules in internal
organs, fin and tail rot ,loss of appetite, loss of weight in
fish.
 Treatments: This can be cured with dip treatment in
1:2000 copper sulphate for 1 minute for 3-4 days .
Plate 1: showing fish tuberculosis

7. 2. Cotton mouth disease
 Caused by: The bacterium Chondrococcus
columnaris.
 Symptoms in fish: It shows up first as a gray or white
line around the lips and later as short tufts sprouting
from the mouth like fungus.
 Treatments: Hard to treat, but not impossible. Like
any disease best caught early. There are commercial
products available to treat cotton mouth. Also change
the water daily 20% and use a regular dose of salt in
your tank.

8. Plate 2: showing cotton mouth disease in fish

9. 3. Columnaris
 Caused by: Filamentous bacteria eg. fexibacteria
 Symptoms in fish :White spots on mouth, edges of
scales, and fins.
 Treatment: Change water, Vacuum gravel, Add
aquarium salt ,Treat with copper sulfate or antibiotic,
Discontinue carbon filtration during treatment .
Plate3: showing columnaris in fish

10. 4. Dropsy
 Caused by: Bacteria (Pseudomonas punctata).
 Symptoms in fish: Accumulation of body fluid/ water
in the body cavity or in scale pockets, scales become
loose, abdomen bulge largely and pressing on it water
comes out through the mouth etc.
 Treatments: There are a number of medications
available such as penicillin, tetracycline and naladixic
acid.
Plate4: showing Dropsy in fish

11. 5. Furunculosis
 Caused by : Bacteria (Aeromonas salmonicida)
 Symptoms in fish: Appearance of bloody boils on the
skin and almost all visceral organs.
 Treatment: Many types of antibiotics have been used
with varying degrees of success. Use of tetracycline,
erythromycin and Nitrofurazone have no documented
effect on Pseudomonas or Aeromonas.
Plate 5: showing furunculosis in fish

12. VIRAL INFECTIONS
 A virus is a microscopic organism that can only
reproduce by inhibiting host cells and using the
genetic material in the cells of a host.
 Healthy fish that have a balanced diet and good water
conditions have strong immune system to fight off
such infections.

13. VIRAL DISEASES IN FISHES
1. Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (VHS)
2. Infectious pancreatic Necrosis (IPN )
3. Spring viremia of carp

14.  Causative agent: Virus having
RNA.
 Symptoms: These include pale
gills, dark body colour, ascites
(fluid in the body cavity),
exophthalmos (bulging eye), and
in some cases an intermittent
period of erratic spiralling
behaviour and rapid respiration.
 Treatment: As with many viral
diseases of fish, there is no
specific treatment or cure for
VHS.
1.VIRAL HAEMORRHAGIC SEPTICAEMIA (VHS)

15. 2.SPRING VIREMIA OF CARP
 Causative agent: spring
viremia of carp virus
(SVCV) or Rhabdo virus
carpio.
 Symptoms: Darkening of
the skin, swollen abdomen,
exophthalmia (popeye),
hemorrhages in the skin,
gills, swim bladder, and
inflammation of the
intestines.
 Treatment: Not specific.

16. MODE OF INFECTION
 Fungal infection are most common disease seen in temperate
fishes.
 Poor water quality can also increase fungal infection in healthy
fishes.
 poor hygienic condition in pond also increase fungal infection
in fishes.
 Fish that are injured have also spread disease in other fishes.
 Decomposing organic material in pond also spread fungal
disease in fishes.
 Most fungal infection attack the external tissue and few fungal
infection will infect the internal organs( Gill’s, liver, kidney,
tissue, spleen, gonad’s etc.
 All fungi produce spores and these force spread disease.

17. FUNGAL DISEASES
CHARACTERISTIC OF FUNGUS
 Fungi are member of the kingdom thallophyta.
 Fungi are colourless (no chlorophyll) and
heterotroph.
 Hyphae( unit of fungi), mycelium (group of fungi ).
 Cell wall is made of chitin and reserve food(
glycogen)
 First fungal infection noted in fish by ARDERON in
1784

18. 1.SPRING VIREMIA OF CARP
 Causative agent: spring
viremia of carp virus
(SVCV) or Rhabdo virus
carpio.
 Symptoms: Darkening of
the skin, swollen abdomen,
exophthalmia (popeye),
hemorrhages in the skin,
gills, swim bladder, and
inflammation of the
intestines.
 Treatment: Not specific.

19. Summary
 1.Microbial diseases may be caused by many pathogenic
organisms such as Bacteria, Fungi, Virus and Protozoa
which may be present in the environment or carried by
other fish .
2.Infectious diseases results from a series of complex
interactions of the pathogen ,host and surrounding
environment.
3.Among various fish pathogens ,bacteria constitute the
major group of microorganisms posing significant threats
to the fishery and aquaculture industry world wide.

20. Cont. Summary
4.Fungal diseases are also one of the major problems among
fish infections ,second only to the bacterial infections.
According to fish pathologists mycoses deprives fish of its
natural strength hindering the internal function of the
organ responsible for consequential fish death.
5. viruses too are important fish pathogens, often species-
specific and tissues because there may not be a
commercially available cell line or an individual fish
species stated that all animals(including fishes) may be
susceptible to some infectious diseases temporarily in
their lives,further suggesting that the fishes possess some
levels of natural resistance to diseases.