[Zbrafish] Re: Zbrafish Digest, Vol 20, Issue 15

[Heather S McAllister (hmcallis from Princeton.EDU)]

some info on mycobacteria (Aka fish tuberculosis)

Heather McAllister
Research Specialist II
Burdine Lab
Department of Molecular Biology
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544
hmcallis from princeton.edu
609-258-5782

----- Original Message -----
From: zbrafish-request from oat.bio.indiana.edu
Date: Friday, January 26, 2007 12:11 pm
Subject: Zbrafish Digest, Vol 20, Issue 15
To: zbrafish from magpie.bio.indiana.edu

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> Today's Topics:
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>   1. Re: Mycobacteria (Jen Matthews)
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> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 17:51:26 -0800
> From: Jen Matthews <jmatthews from zfin.org>
> Subject: Re: [Zbrafish] Mycobacteria
> To: Padnos.Beth from epamail.epa.gov
> Cc: zbrafish from oat.bio.indiana.edu
> Message-ID: <9A6DD50A-9FD7-48D2-B02E-60208F1FD927 from zfin.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
> 
> Hi Beth,
> I have just a few things to add to the discussion on mycobacteria. 
> 
> There seems to be a lot of hype and often over reaction to the  
> diagnosis mycobacteriosis in the zebrafish community.  Atypical or 
> 
> nontuberculosis Mycobacterium spp. are ubiquitous in aquatic  
> environments, persisting largely in biofilms. I would argue that 
> if  
> you look hard enough, you will find it in all established 
> zebrafish  
> systems. Many Mycobacterium spp. are resistant to common chlorine  
> disinfection. That's why it is also commonly found in municipal  
> drinking water distribution systems and swimming pools. A number 
> of  
> these Mycobacterium spp. are documented pathogens of zebrafish,  
> however, they are opportunist pathogens causing chronic 
> infections.  
> Asymptomatic carriers of mycobacteria are common in zebrafish with 
> 
> the swimbladder and ovary being the most commonly infected organs. 
>  
> There are strains of zebrafish that are more susceptible to  
> mycobacteria infections.  In our experience, the TU strain is ten  
> times more likely to be infected compared to other wild-type 
> strains.  
> There also appears to be some differences in virulence between the 
> 
> different species and strains of Mycobacterium.
> 
> So with this background, what do you do? I am not a proponent of  
> nuking systems and starting over. You will most likely get the 
> same  
> bug back. All Mycobacterium spp. respond poorly to antibiotics, so 
> 
> this is also not a good option for fish facilities. Because of the 
> 
> opportunist nature of bacterial infections in fish, your first 
> focus  
> should be on husbandry and water quality. Stress lowers the immune 
> 
> competency of fish. This includes any type of suboptimal water  
> quality (e.g. elevated nitrogenous compounds - including nitrate, 
> pH  
> fluctuations) and other stressors (e.g. high stocking density, 
> over  
> use). The other focus should be on lowering the exposure dose. All 
> 
> pathogens have a dose response - the higher the exposure to  
> mycobacteria the greater the infection rate. To decrease the dose 
> of  
> bacteria make sure that your UV is properly sized and maintained,  
> that cleaning procedures are adequate, and do not keep moribund  
> (sick) or old fish. Eliminating Mycobacterium from zebrafish 
> systems  
> is not a realistic goal, it needs to be managed.
> 
> Let me know if you have questions. We are also always happy to 
> give  
> feedback on your husbandry and water quality parameters. very 
> best, -Jen
> 
> 
> 
> Jennifer L. Matthews, DVM, PhD
> Zebrafish International Resource Center
> Pathology and Health Services
> 5274 University of Oregon
> Eugene, OR 97403-5274     <(()><
> (541) 346-6028 ext. 14             <(()><
> Fax (541) 346-6151
> jmatthews from zfin.org
> 
> 
> On Jan 23, 2007, at 8:07 AM, Padnos.Beth from epamail.epa.gov wrote:
> 
> > I work in a facility that is trying to establish a small Medaka and
> > Zebra fish colony.
> > Recently we discovered Mycobacteria in our Medaka which are on 
> the  
> > same
> > rack as our Zebrafish. One of the male Zebrafish  began swimming 
> a bit
> > oddly and his abdomen became red as if bleeding internally or 
> inflamed> organs. He is has since been set to the pathologist for 
> screening, but
> > is assumed to have Mycobacteria as well.
> > The facility Veterinarian and I have both done literature 
> searches but
> > find not treatment. Has anyone successfully treated or eliminated
> > Mycobacteria from their  fish and or system?
> > Help is greatly appreciated from an inexperienced fish researcher.
> > Beth Padnos
> >
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> End of Zbrafish Digest, Vol 20, Issue 15
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